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Landlord sends tenant a bill for unclogging pipe under sink after never charging for maintenance before

Jeanice Ellis was using her sink when it backed up and water overflowed. A plumber was dispatched and fixed it but a few days later Ellis was sent the $267 bill.

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Jeanice Ellis has lived in her High Point apartment for more than 13 years. The small but quaint unit has served her well. There have certainly been some issues through the years, but for the most part, they have been addressed.

One of those issues was a clogged drain in the sink.

“All of a sudden the water started overflowing,” Ellis said.

She immediately reached out to the landlord who sent out a plumber. Ellis said the plumber was nice and professional and had the sink working again.

“They did a good job it took about 30 minutes,” Ellis said.

A few days later Ellis received a notification, that she was being charged $267 for the plumbing bill.

“I’ve been here a long time and never been charged for maintenance,” Ellis said.

The notice also stated it had to be paid soon, or late fees would start to accumulate.

“It was getting to me, I couldn’t sleep just worrying about it,” Ellis said.

A couple of days later Ellis emailed WFMY News 2 asking for assistance. We reviewed the email and then called her back.

“When you called me back, I was like 'Okay God, you're doing your thing',” Ellis said.

We contacted the landlord who later reached out to Ellis. The bill was paid in full and Ellis didn’t have to pay a penny.

“I really appreciate all (News 2) did for me,” Ellis said.

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