Payment of utility bills

@sammut115 Hi, you should be able to register online with easypay https://www.easypay.bg/site/?p=online-payment-epaybg

Then once your payment cards have been registered there is a utilities payment section where you can register your water and electricity accounts . Normal terms of payment are 14 days with most utility companies.

If you have a UBB bank account you can also pay bills through that.

@sammut115

As @grahamstark1 wisely recommends, Epay (epay.bg) is definitely the way to go. I use it for my mobile phone and household utility bills and my (car) vignettes. You give Epay your account info and it checks every day for any new bills and alerts you for any necessary payments.

Electricity works no problem this way at both village house and city flat. Electricity does cut off for non-payment, but the reconnection fee is pretty minor.

Water seems a lot more low-tech to me. I get water updates for the city flat, but the village house is still stubbornly not talking to Epay. So I think this still needs me to go visit the water office in Kazanlak (or a post office). I think it's 2 years since I went down there, so I am overdue for a visit! :-) Pretty sure that they're not allowed to cut the water off, certainly they've never cut mine, even though I was extremely tardy in figuring out how to pay.

I'm having the same issue with paying my water bill. No problem at all setting up epay for the electric bill, but it won't accept the account number for the water bill. I'll try first at the post office when I am back at the village house next week, but suspect I'll need to go to the VIK to sort it out.

I sometimes pay for the water via my bank ( fibank) but I think there is a requirement to input some extra zeros to enable a 6 or 7 digit number, rather than just the one that appears on your water card? Thinking about it, it's called an абонатен номер, and you can usually find this on a previous / old bill.

@janemulberry

I had no problem entering my water account info into Epay when I bought our apartment. And I waited for a bill to appear, but it never came. After a year or so, I started to get worried, so I went to my local EasyPay to see if I'd done something wrong. They said they couldn't do it, and I had to go to the post office. Which I did, and they seem to be able to check any water account. It's pretty easy. The water office is usually busier/slower than the post office.

My Plovdiv apartment water bill started showing up in Epay maybe a year or so ago, so that's even easier. But the house water is still stubbornly at 0.

Thanks Gwyn! I'll go chat to Daniela at the local post office when I'm back in Bg next week.

Epay is supposed to work with the local water company, but I have a 9 digit account number and epay wants 10 digits. Could be as Jules999 said I just need to add an extra zero somewhere. I'd like to get it on epay if at all possible just in case I ever can't get there in person to pay a bill.

We have had our house for 3 years, went to pay any watercharges at office in polski trambesh, was informed no charges due.

Will be back again end of July early August and check again, there seems to be no rush.

@mickg As my house is in Radanovo , I have to go to the Polski Trambesh payment office as well . The problem is that when they gave me the contract to sign at the office they didn't give me a customer/account number .

@gwynj Hi Gwynj and thanks for your input . I went to the Company office in April to change the ownership of the water service in my name . Problem is that I signed the contract but was not given a customer/account number that I can identify with to pay my bills online . I am returning to BG in a week and I will be heading straight to their office to solve this problem . The company is Yovkovtsi , and its based in VT . Also , I have to mention that their customer service is atrocious . I tried calling them more than once to sort the problem out , but as soon as they hear me speak in English they just hang up .  Disgusting service , especially now that BG is in the EU .

That's so frustrating! I expect I will run into the same problems with mine, though with the Dobrich water company.

Unfortunately I don't think we can do much on the phone if we don't speak Bulgarian. I've found sometimes just a few words of Bulgarian, apologising for not speaking Bulgarian and saying I am English, will get an English speaker to the phone if one is available. But English is not the official EU language, and Britain is not in the EU, so Bulgarian companies aren't required to have English-speaking customer service. I'm sure a Bulgarian in the UK calling a British water company and speaking only in Bulgarian would get hung up on, too.

Do you have a Bulgarian neighbour or friend who can help you with this?

I don't make any calls! I know my near-zero Bulgarian will lead to disappointment. :-) In-person visits are definitely the way to go for changes and updates to electricity and water. I have not yet taken a translator with me, but usually I wish I had. It's not that I don't get what I want/need, but it feels much more time-consuming and stressful (and usually relies on a lucky break that young Miss X, who speaks excellent English, happens to be on duty today).

By contrast, when I've roped-in Serj the translator to meet me at a government office (immigration, social security) or notary, it all goes painlessly and seems like 50 leva well-spent.

Absolutely! My neighbour is wonderful, but I need to local an actual translator in my area for the official stuff (and so I don't feel I am taking advantage of her kindness).

First time we went to pay our water we were told to come back next year we hadn't used enough

First time we went to pay our water we were told to come back next year we hadn't used enough
-@Johnjameson59

That's good news!

• I pay my electric via my bank account and leave money in the Water Service office in Pomorie because this m just t always around with my gate unlocked when they come to read the meter.  Works ok for me and as I depend on the village bojbus service I've time to walklllk by the ge sea

***

@kathomas700

Your post is off topic and has been removed.

A related question please?

Is there any way to submit a water meter reading online or other way?

I have an apartment and the meter is in the bathroom. VIK who supply water visit once a year at I date that I am never there. I have to arrange for someone to be there to let them in.

I did try to email the supplier but received no reply

@alanjolly65  Hi Alan . If its any help to you , I went personally to my water suppliers office in Polski Trambesh to verify a few things . I was assured that my water supply will not be suspended whilst I am living abroad and all I have to do is take the water readings when I return and they will charge accordingly . The water and sewage company is Yovkovtsi , Veliko Tarnovo .

I too have this issue - I’ve owned an apartment for 17 years and never paid a water bill!   I could never find an account linked to me. Only this year did a Bulgarian neighbour say that I owe money and to try and sort it out but I have no idea where to go. She found my account number somehow but I have no idea where the water company is and how they will know what I owe as the meter reading I gave to my neighbour originally made her think I owe around 60 lev but when she went to pay it for me she said I needed to go in person to resolve (I bought off plan and the builder never put in place a proper handover or maintenance plan etc so just a neighbour try’s to help maintain the block etc).

Im in sunny beach. Anyone have any idea where I go and considering I haven’t paid for 17 years what will happen?! Lol

Additionally I have the same issue with “council tax”.  I have a card somewhere which I took once somewhere to pay in the first year I bought and they told me not to bother paying and come back the following year.  I can’t even remember where that was and have never paid a penny. What will happen?!

@jimmyjimmy123 As far as I know there is a law in Bulgaria, that prevents the water company cutting you off, so no worries there.  As for the seventeen years, it will depend on your water meter.  There must have been a meter reading by the water company who installed the meter, when the property was first built.  Whether they can go back seventeen years I've no idea - this is rather an extraordinary case lol...  I would suggest visiting the water company in person, with a translator, or someone who speaks Bulgarian.  The problem might be that the meter has been round the clock a few times in 17 years!  They will have to work something out for you.  If you have a customer number for the water, then you can either pay in cash for your bills at Easy Pay outlets, to which there are many, or on line at, I think it's epay. 

Re the council tax, you pay at the municipality building/offices for your city or area.  They are tolerant up to a limit.  We didn't pay any tax last year and only paid it all this year, including this year's tax too - they were fine about it, although it was quite a lot to pay.  If it's left longer than two years, they may get a debt collector / bailiffs involved.

I also find water payment a big problem an even getting the reading sorted.  It's very old fashioned way of doing things in Byala.. they cannot read the meter without me being there.  I'm hoping that once we start living there I can sort this out

@jimmyjimmy123 The municipality office of Nessebar is at the following address...

8240 Стария възел, Sunny Beach.

If you go on Google Maps and put in Municipality Offices, it comes up and you can click on it, to bring up its details, to which there's a website link.

As for the water company's address, I'm not sure, but your neighbourhood mustard know.

@cyberescue1

Hi

I think we come under Varna municipal

Obzor just 5km from us is Nessebar so we are right on the border

Phil

@cyberescue1 thanks. Yes when the property was first built I had to prepay for water but then the company quickly disowned the building and I was never given an account number. So now I have 17 years of water to pay. There is one part of me that thinks if I haven’t paid this long maybe I should just leave it at that lol.  Tbh I don’t use the apartment much (a few times a year for short breaks) so I have no idea how expensive it will be.

the same is for my council tax etc.  I have never paid it a single time on 17 years and never had anything happen about it.  I have no idea what it even costs a year.  Do I potentially owe thousands or is it a very small amount?  I remember my agent saying it was very cheap and paying it isn’t a problem unless you want to sell the property.

@cyberescue1 thank you. I will need to find it but worried how much 17 years of unpaid taxes is on my apartment!  And because nothing has ever happened about it I’m almost tempted to let sleeping dogs lie!

@jimmyjimmy123

The property tax is a potential issue, so you definitely shouldn't ignore it!

I believe the official rate is 0.15% of the purchase price (or assessed value, whichever is higher) per year. Plus there's a separate charge for rubbish collection.

Bulgaria is moving to automatic registration (on purchase), but 17 years ago it might not have been so. In which case there is a registration/declaration form to fill out at the property tax office (along with a copy of your Notary Act). The tax office will be somewhere in your local municipality building.

If you registered, or it was registered automatically, then they know about your big bill. If it wasn't registered, then I guess it's not in the system, and they don't know about your big bill. The latter is better, but you should still fix it ASAP.

There are fines for non-registration (as we should do it within 3 months of purchase, I think) and fines for late payment.

Some places do take action for non-payment of property tax. They get the bailiff to sell the property to pay the bill. And they send letters alerting you to this to your property address... so if you're not there, or your mail is unreliable, you might not even see it. This would be rather upsetting, I suspect.

I've been a naughty boy myself, so you're not the only one! :-) We just had a few days in Bansko, where I went and finally sorted out my property taxes there. One apartment had been automatically registered, but the more recent purchase hadn't, which seemed odd. She gave me the declaration form and I went off to a cafe and tried to fill it in (form only in Bulgarian). I then gave up, and went to find a helpful Bulgarian to do it for me, which cost me 30 leva.

The unregistered one was purchased at end of 2022, so I paid 52 leva for that one. The registered one had 10 years of unpaid taxes (since purchase) plus late payment fines. The total was 1,325 leva. Which is pretty good as one year of council tax in the UK would be twice that! :-) That's for a 20k euros apartment, so I guess you can estimate yours. For example, if yours is a 40k apartment, then I guess you might be owing around 5k leva.

Similarly, it did take me a few years to go sort out the water bill at our village house after the purchase. It was around 800 leva by then, so while it's not huge it does add up over the years. Nobody has ever read the meter, and it looks like a very low-tech device, so I have no idea how they know my water consumption. :-)

@gwynj thanks this is really helpful.  I have a feeling it must have been registered as I’m sure somewhere I have some kind of card that I was told I use to pay it. So strange nothing has happened for 17 years but I guess I should finally address it. At least I have an idea of cost now and it seems better than I expected. 

is there a way to do all this with epay that everyone talks about?  My water as well. I downloaded the epay app but there seems no way to create an account or anything so not sure how I link my account numbers and stuff.

When I think about it, the whole thing is a mess - when I bought the apartment, the agent set up a company for me as I needed a company to own the apartment (this was before Bulgaria joined the EU, I don’t know if it is still the same now) so I have no idea if I ever came to sell the property how I would do so and where this company is that I allegedly own and if I’m supposed to be filing taxes for that every year too!   

@jimmyjimmy123

17 years is a long time ago! It's maybe time to pay an attorney to double-check your situation and resolve any outstanding issues with the company and property taxes.

Your company is just a holding company, it doesn't trade. So I don't think there are any taxes to pay, but I believe you just be submitting an annual filing of some kind.

Apartments can be owned by non-EU (if it just an apartment, not an apartment with a share of the plot). So it might be advantageous to transfer from the company to you personally. Your attorney can advise whether it's worth doing.

Selling is no problem whether it's in your personal name, or owned by your company. A buyer can purchase the company and the property from you (and you simply transfer the shares of the holding company to them), or they can buy the property from your company.

@jimmyjimmy123 I'm inclined to agree with you on the water, if they haven't chased you for money in 17 years, my thinking is, they won't ever.  I take it the meter is indoors and they don't have access?  If so, the meter reader is probably assuming the property is unoccupied.

As for the council tax, we have a 3 bedroom maisonette in Varna and it's around £10 per month, so, depending on the size of your property, your looking at around 8 to 10 per month (around £100 per year).  So the worst scenario is around £1800 for 17 years, including the miniscule fines.

thanks to everyone for their help. An update: today I have sorted my taxes at the municipality office which were a few thousand lev. Weirdly when I said do I have to pay now, the lady said “if you have the money pay, if not come next year”.  Lol it makes me wonder if anything would have ever happened after 17 years but for peace of mind I paid so assume I’m now up to date and now each year can come and just pay for the year just gone.

for the water I managed to get my account number and pay at the post office. Again a few thousand lev but on there was also a “court fee” of 700 lev from 2019.  I paid the whole bill but they never asked for a meter reading (and my meter is indoors) so I have no idea if I really am up to date or not.  Also I don’t know if the court fee is just a fee now paid and done or if there were ramifications to that (eg have they tried to get that money back somehow considering I was fined four years ago?!).   Any ideas?

then finally I went to first investment bank where I know the property agent set up an account for me when I bought the property. I thought I would try and get my account details and see if I can set up direct debits for the future. Instead she told me I owe hundreds of euros in “tax” for a monthly fee for the bank account because I have deposited nothing.  I said what happens if I don’t pay. She said she doesn’t know.  So I haven’t paid.  Do I just pay the fine and close the account?  Or is it worth keeping the account?  I’m not sure what to do. Any advice?   

We have an apartment in Pomorie

My wife has has her bg pension paid into the bank..and direct debits for the bills..btw she is a bgn so language isnt a problem.however..she was told that the water meter reading is taken directly from the incoming source.

Then divided by how many apartments

Which is a bit unfair..a family of 4 will use more water than myself who spends 2.5 months here alone..

Anyway..last week the water board left a note to say they had called..i assume to check the meter in the bathroom.

So dont know whats happening tbh

My bgn is not enough to visit..she can deal with it..when i go back..

Still havnt resolved the service charges yet..as some pay..some dont because they dont visit..but send renters..makes my blood boil tbh..and its been increased by 5 lev..to 105 per yr🤣

I never let em though when they push my intercom..i just say.no clutch..no entry..cos i'm orrible like that.😜

Do I just pay the fine and close the account? Or is it worth keeping the account? I’m not sure what to do. Any advice? 
-@jimmyjimmy123

So glad you were able to resolve the water and tax issues!

The bank account is a tricky one. My thought is, it depends how much use a Bg bank account might be for you. If you already have residency under the pre-Brexit rules as a property owner, or have no intention of ever applying for residency under the new rules, it might not be worth keeping. If you may want to apply for residency, maybe it is.

When I bought my property, as part of the company set up that's needed post-Brexit I paid the estate agent for, a bank account was also set up. It's a requirement to register a Bg company. The agent advised me to close the account as soon as the company was officially registered, because I'd need to pay a 10 EUR a month account fee. I did as she suggested. In retrospect, I may have done better to keep it open and pay the fee, because when apply to get my D visa, I'll need a Bg bank account. Maybe it would have been worth paying 5 years worth of fees to have it and not need the hassle of opening a new one to get the D visa? I'm not sure!

Apart from applying for residency, I can't think of many other reasons to keep the account open. I'll be interested to read what others think.

@sammut115

hello, have you pain your Energo pro bill using a uk bank debit card and has the bank charged you for this service please,

yours richard

I suspect if you use a UK debit card, yes, the bank would probably charge because they need to do a currency conversion from lev to pounds.

I use a Wise card which allows holding amounts in various currencies including the lev. That lets me pay my Bulgarian bills in BGN so there's no extra fees involved.