So the contract has no limit on the number of vehicles that can come? Just that the department can access it on average once/day in a month with unlimited number of vehicles? Or does it have a vehicle limit?

If it is a contract - when does it expire?

I think you should consult with an attorney before even considering a move. Often times a letter or discussion attended by the attorney will be sufficient to resolve the problem. It would seem to me that it is in the water department's best interest to heed the terms of the contract so that they continue to enjoy access. And frankly, I'm surprised that a CONTRACT was used for this issue - what's the benefit to the landowner? A contract usually requires reciprocal consideration and I can't see how you get any benefit from this deal. Usually there would be a right of way that runs with the property.

I am wondering if you have a contract, or rather an easement in your title which gives them access. If you have an easement in your title when you bought your property, it may give more access than you think.

If this is a tried and true contract, do you renew same at anniversary intervals? Is there a compensation in connection with the contract? I am thinking you have an easement rather than a contract. Easements stipulate that number of feet that the utility has access to on our property. For instance, the electric company has a 40 ft. easement. In other words, they are entitled to enter the property and maintain same 40 ft. in either direction of the power line that runs by our home IFKWIM.

We have a unique situation similar to yours. The electric company and county have easements on my property. Small price to pay to have the property we have which is surrounded by undevelopable land. All in all, our property being 3 acres with at least 20 acres of undevelopable land, it is well worth the inconvenience we are subjected to. However, our inconvience is no where near what you are describing.

I would check out whether and what your contract provides. However, if your situation is an easement provision in title, that is a very different situation. An easement would enable access to the utility or whatever as often as is needed.

Before you hire an attorney, I would read your title report from when you closed on this house.

I was going to say, this sounds like you've got an easement and the 'contract' is not something that is really enforceable. If it's a municipality or governmental entity, they may be able to claim emminent domain...in other words, if they NEED to access the site, they could basically force you to live with it. And if the easement extends out even 10 feet on either side of the road, they could put up a fence or do a myriad of things on what you considered YOUR property.

With an easement, you pay taxes on that property, but you don't really 'own' it. Most easements like that are irrevocable...meaning that as long as the utility needs access, they'll stay. You may even have other utitily easments on your property, for example power lines. Rural properties that have the benefit of 'modern' conveniences (city water, sewer, electric, cell, etc) will generally always come with utility easements.

First step is to examine your deed, as work recommends. Then pull the contract and read it. You may want your attorney to read it and explain it's ins & outs to you before you go any further.

Of course, sweet talking the workers will probably go a long way too.

I agree with pammyfay and McMann and the others who say that you need to challenge the head of the water management department that he can do nothing about their behavior. He can, and if he can't then go up the chain to the person who he reports to. Mayor? County Executive?

And my guess is that you have an easement, not a contract.

The contract was signed by the last owner. The "easement" is on the two properties next to me, they both landscaped so the properties are impassable, which is why they approached this property owner to draw up a contract with NO expiration date. The benefit to the previous owner was: they removed large boulders and put in his driveway for free.....then installed a broken water meter so he got "free" water. YES.....I have a copy of the contract and was aware of it before we purchased this property.

When I moved in I reported the broken meter immediately, it was replaced. My neighbor mentioned I got free water, so he knew of the previous owners "deal"........which I no longer have. THERE IS NO BENEFIT TO ME AT ALL EXCEPT I GET TO LIVE HERE. :0) I agree......there should be a benefit.

"Make some friends with some of the workers. Fight the top, but befriend the bottom. You will be amazed what the workers can control - if they are on your side."

Great advice Holley

Time to talk to a lawyer, I think.

Yeah, it might be time to think about getting a lawyer because the arrangement doesn't make much sense. It doesn't matter that the neighbors' easements are landscaped and currently impassable. The town is allowed to go in there and remove any obstacles with no liability to the town. That's why they're designated as easements. I'd still try to work something out with the town first, and if that doesn't help, then it's lawyer time.

hollygarden....great advice...one problem, people want to be my friend so they can "USE" my property and NOT the trailheads. You might get your car window smashed at a trail head. So ask the "nice" lady, she can't say no. :0)

There was the woman who wanted to bring her jogging club over. The guy that wanted to bring his church group over and go hiking. A trail committee head wanted me to sign a contract saying they could come up any time to work on the trail. NO.....we didn't sign. DH's friends that want to go hunting behind the house.....no.

The property is posted, signs front & rear. I think I need a little "reputation".....lol :0)

{{gwi:1491924}}

One thought -- If it really was a "contract" and not an easement, wouldn't it be binding upon the former owners - the ones who signed - and not on you? And since you haven't derived any benefit (thanks to your honesty), should you still be obligated under that contract?

The water dept. still has that easement. Seems like time they used it...

Lawyer time!

OOh sweeby- that's brillant. I didn't think of that. Wouldn't it be great if the contract was now void because the property sold!

I believe that under contract law no contract can explicitly bind an individual in perpetuity. Contracts of looooong duration generally link to the continuation of the British royal family. Talk to a lawyer.

The contract says right on it: This agreement runs with the land."

I really think my options are: sell this place to someone else OR stay.

I'm just trying to convince myself that I'm over reacting. That any sane person would just say, "Don't worry, be happy." You have a street out in front of your house, so what's so bad about having one running right next to your house? There's no one in your back yard. Any takers? :0) lol They haven't been up here in 3 days......I start to forget what a traffic jam it is when they "are" here. :0)

Worth $500 in legal fees to find out for sure, don't you think?
Just talking to a lawyer isn't adversarial, so all of the 'make nice' options are still 100% wide open.
You just need to know what your rights are before you try to push.

You could think of it this way - if you decide to sell your property a prospective buyer would want to know the details of the contract. Spending the money now for an attorney might facilitate the sale of your property later. Imagine a real estate agent showing your home and the interested buyer watching all these water department vehicles going up and down your driveway. You might even discover that the water department has been taking advantage of your absence and ignoring the limitations of the agreement.

sweeby....I got legal books from the library when we first purchased this property. The contract is what it is. They don't have to find another outlet to access their property, there is an empty lot just around the corner, but it's owned by another city. I was told there is NO reason for them to locate another access, they have MY driveway.

mcmann.....yes, they are breaching the contract by coming up here too often, but in order to file a lawsuit you have to claim damages. I have none.

I'm now looking at a 7 acre lot that costs just a little less than what my home would sell for.....DH is not going for it........even tho he told me about the lot. :0) I think we should jump on it, he sees trails all over the lot from the aerial view and thinks trespassing will be an issue. I say we would fence it in once the house is built...

I think we are just too close to retiring for good to be buying in unknown territory. DH wants to buy a finished product and see what he's getting into.

It is expensive to move. At least talk to a good land use attorney. The contract may not be as iron clad as you think.

According to the books on law I read, even if there was NO contract, you have to give a property owner behind you access to their property. I have "no" problem with the contract. There is nothing to see a lawyer about, there is NO damage to my property.

I just wanted to know if anyone else thinks I'm over reacting to all the traffic? If "you" would find this too much to bear and move? Could you retire here? Just an opinion of WWYD?

I think you are resistant to seeing a lawyer.
The books are fine but unless you are a lawyer, they really do know more than you do.

You keep saying WWYD, and everyone keeps saying, Talk to a lawyer. Are you looking for an excuse to move? (But if things are so bad, what makes you think the house would sell?)

I would try to make the situation more bearable. If the city is not honoring the terms of the contract then I would get some legal muscle to make them adhere to the terms. Or see if the contract can be broken as it seems there are other easements that could be accessed although it may hurt someones landscape. That said, if nothing could be done and I had purchased the home for peace and quiet I guess I would move. But I'd still explore the other avenues first.

Nicole- I didn't suggest that you see a lawyer in order to file a lawsuit. Actually I don't think anyone suggested that. The reason to have a lawyer review the terms of the contract is to see if the contract is fully valid or to clarify your rights as property owner and to determine the limits that can be placed on the water department. You've already said that the front end loaders are violating the weight limit. Have you decided what to do about that?

And to answer your questions - I don't think you are overreacting, but I agree with bumblebeez you do seem to be resistant to seeing a lawyer.

What would I do- immediately make an appointment with an attorney who has experience with these matters. The traffic certainly seems to be causing a problem for you. So before I try to sell and move I'd see if somehow you could make this arrangement more agreeable, at least enforce the weight limit.

And could I retire there? No way, I wouldn't want to share my driveway with anyone, let alone municipal vehicles. I mentioned earlier that we bought 100 acres in the PA mountains that we use as a vacation place and a future retirement home. We selected that property for many reasons - but one of the major ones was that it was quiet.

If you don't like the contract then say, you'd move. You would not like the people on your property. :0)

Some people would not be bothered by the water department coming through. I wasn't for 19 years. :0) I bought it, it was right for me "then" maybe not now.

That's why I keep asking WWYD? It's a poll.....of how others feel. Am I over reacting? Is this a minor bump I've made into a big deal?

It's a definite problem. I don't think you are overreacting at all. But you are spinning in a hole. Start to do something- and start by seeing a good lawyer for advice on what you should do next.
Until you see the lawyer you have no idea what direction to go.

Have you contacted your local elected officials? In our community there are exposed telephone cables that are a real eyesore. The homeowners association tried talking for many months with the phone company and got nowhere. I called our Supervisor's office, they got someone from the county's cable regulatory office to come out to examine the situation. It turns out that the phone company is in violation and was issued a summons. The phone company has 30 days from the date of the summons to bury the cables or be fined. They are now working to fix the problem.

No, you are not overreacting to the trespass, littering and destruction of your property.

I'm not going to give my opinion on whether or how much it would bother me because the only opinion that matters here is yours.

As for moving, it's your decision. I would get some legal advice before I made any decisions.

Post this on the Buying and Selling Homes Forum. There are real estate experts there whose advice may help you.

suero.....I contacted the mayor,had him over, invited him in,he said,"I can see you have a nice home,turned around and left.....blah...blah. He thought I was flaunting my money by inviting him in.....like I could afford to make his life miserable threat. :0) It's a wood house, wood peckers used to attack it. DH made metal propellers and hung them, solved! Oh well.. Bears, yes full size bears were coming over and raiding the hummingbird feeders. Hung the feeders so high, they gave up.:0) Had clover mites, inside the house, in the winter, I laid down on the floor next to the windows, woke up covered with these little bugs! We sprayed the lawn, then built a brick patio(they eat lawn & were just following the lawn, into our house). :0) We have always said,"What is the next seige going to be?"

When we moved in there was a helicopter company giving tours, flying over my home to show off the open space...they went out of business. :0) There was a laser light show that shot green light into my great room at 9pm everynight. DH called the radiation control govt. office....they had to move the show, it was a radiation hazard. :0) We had hikers climbing the gate, coming through, we wrapped the gate in barbed wire....:0)

Nothing can make the contract go away and that would have to happen in order to get total privacy that a NORMAL home owner experiences everyday. :0)
{{gwi:286251}}

"If you don't like the contract then say, you'd move."

Not exactly. I could almost certainly live with the amount of traffic specified in the contract.
But I might not be able to live with the actual amount and type of traffic -- which seems to be much more than the contract specifies.
And isn't it the actual traffic that you're objecting to, isn't it? (Not the contractually-permitted traffic.)

A lawyer might be able to get the water dept. to reduce their actual traffic to the contract amount, making your home livable for you. OR - A lawyer might determine that the contract is unenforceable for any number of reasons -- like you received no consideration, or that the term is 'in perpetuity', or that the easements are located on other property. OR, the lawyer might be able to negotiate a price whereby you BUY OUT the water dept's rights entirely. OR, Or, Or...

"Are you over-reacting?"

No - You're under-reacting.
You're feeling sad and angry and put-upon and it greatly reduces your enjoyment of your property -- to the extent that you're wanting to move!

But you're not DOING ANYTHING about it except polling us.
And what we think doesn't even matter...
It bothers you. You have options. And consulting with a real estate attorney is the option that you need to pursue.

The gate is an eyesore. I'd like to plant HUGE blue spruce trees to block it's view and NEVER have another vehicle drive over my lawn. I'd have to get rid of the contract in order to have the peace I want and expect of a residental property. It's pretty much an ALL or nothing concept. Get them off my property which the contract prevents me from doing....or move to a "quote" normal area.

graywings.....I posted over in the buying & selling homes forum.....with the ALL or nothing question. Thanks! :0)

Get them off my property which the contract prevents me from doing....or move to a "quote" normal area.

Looks like you've answered your own question.

Nicole, only you can really answer the question of whether the inconvenience of having the utility people come and go on your land is large enough to need to sell and move. Everyone is going to have a different limit as to how much of that they could take.

What puzzles me is why you think is an either/or situation. Based on the information you have given here--blatant disregard of the terms of the contract, the fact that the contract was signed off by a previous owner--a visit to an experienced real estate lawyer would be my first option, instead of moving.

Here's the thing--law books are written in legalese. The words are English, but the meaning of many of the words has a special, legal, meaning. The reading you have done may or may not have given you a true picture of your situation. It takes a lawyer to sort this stuff out--they've been trained to understand the way the laws are written.

Yes, a lawyer will cost money. But most likely not as much as moving. For $500 or so, you could find out what all your options are, and I'm pretty sure that they will include more than accepting the status quo or moving.

One further thought. If you put your house up for sale, you may in all likelihood have to disclose the contract and the extent to which the utility people are on your land. Many, many buyers will back off from the purchase of your home when they realize that this is why you are moving. You may find that you can't sell the house because of the contract.

The reason you aren't getting the answer you want, whether to move or sell, is that most people, if they liked the house and location, wouldn't turn this into such a black-and-white situation. They'd go to a lawyer and fight the utility company for, at the very least, getting them to obey the terms of the contract.

From your OP: My choices seem to be to move down the street to a house I HATE or put up with the constant traffic.

Do you think you would be happier in a house you hate? Would selling this home you love (and disclosing the contract) and moving to a house you hate be easier than a chat with a lawyer? Are the people from the water dept. there in the beautiful evenings or weekends? I think I read that they're not there every day, all day, right? You would be living in a house you hate all day, every day, maybe for the rest of your life. If you think you would be happier that way, then you should move.

In a way, it seems you've become more defensive of your position over the few days of this thread, almost as if there is a different underlying issue.

You have a stunningly beautiful property, and probably the house is just as you want it to be. To answer your original question, I'd stay. And I'd see a lawyer.

Sherry

I missed this in my previous post: I'm now looking at a 7 acre lot that costs just a little less than what my home would sell for.....DH is not going for it........even tho he told me about the lot. :0) I think we should jump on it, he sees trails all over the lot from the aerial view and thinks trespassing will be an issue. I say we would fence it in once the house is built...

I can't imagine taking on that kind of expense (debt?) just before retiring! Just the cost of fencing 7 acres (is that even legal or aesthetically pleasing?), not to mention the cost of building a new house, if your house will sell for only a little more than the cost of the new acreage alone! Wow! I'd say you are one lucky duck. With that kind of money, I think you can live anywhere you want.

shermann.....the "issue" hasn't changed. The contract stays,it came with the property. The contract is the reason I want to move, it exists. Enforcing it isn't even the issue. It would still be a shared lot.

If custom homes with all the frills were everywhere on 1 acre lots with open space, for under 1.2million...... I'd just move. :0) Hence the availabily of places to move in "this" area is the frustration I'm experiencing. I feel stuck. I guess I needed to better define the problem.....more of an afforable real estate availability problem.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's an example of a home I wouldn't want to own....

Quote: The contract was signed by the last owner. The "easement" is on the two properties next to me, they both landscaped so the properties are impassable, which is why they approached this property owner to draw up a contract with NO expiration date. The benefit to the previous owner was: they removed large boulders and put in his driveway for free.....then installed a broken water meter so he got "free" water. YES.....I have a copy of the contract and was aware of it before we purchased this property. End quote.

I'm not a lawyer, but what you have written here, that there are *two* other properties with easements, not contracts, makes me think that there are indeed alternatives for you. Even though those easements got landscaped (and how did the owners manage that, I wonder?), that does not mean that they can't be used. Your property is *not* the only way to the water tower. And a contract with no expiration date? Again, a legal problem. One that could be solved by visiting a lawyer.

Contracts get changed, ended, broken, altered, all the time. With the help of a lawyer.

You have not put enough pressure on the utility company to make them obey the terms of the contract. You are unwilling to seek legal help.

It's beginning to sound as if you want to move, but need to justify it.

Nicole, since no one on the thread seems to understand the problem you are experiencing, I just thought perhaps you had a more personal reason other than your stated reasons about the contract and the water department that might be the real reason you are so upset and seemingly opposed to seeing a lawyer. Maybe you just want to move for the heck of it.

Many of us feel "stuck" in certain situations. You at least seem to have options. Maybe the trucks have been busier than usual in the short time since you semi-retired so it won't be a problem forever. Maybe you could go to the gym or a club during peak periods, though I certainly don't think you should do all the "giving" in this situation, especially since you say the water dept is in violation of the contract.

By the way, I think your husband may be right about trespassers on the 7 acres, even with a fence.

I agree.....I'm at home too much. The water department traffic has already thinned out...they haven't been here in 4 days.

I got a part time job in order to get out of the house. GAWD I hated working for a living! People wanting me to kiss ass is weird,I'm too old....heaven help me! lol I joined 2 hiking groups and a bicycle club. Those people were mostly welfare recipients looking for some way to spend their day. Yikes!

I do have options.....that's what I'm looking at.

camlan....if I wanted a lawyer I'd go 2 doors down...no wait....a block away....no 3 blocks away.....;0) Not one of them is anything but a scum bag!!! The one lawyer has 15 chickens in violation of city ordinances of "no farm animals". He used to be mayor of our town. Lawyers are "god" in this town. I won't cross one and money won't buy their loyalty.

Nicole, I was just chatting with a friend on the phone while reading this. She's an attorney for the state in the contracts division. I won't mince words...She never does :) Her words "The woman is an idiot, she read a couple law books and feels she's a qualified attorney who has determined they're bound to a contract that possibly isn't even legal (because of the purposely broken meter which would be defrauding the municipality in which you live)."

So there you have it. Apparently you should move because you're unwilling to explore the situation correctly.

Since I started talking to her and then started working on the reply you made your last post....Really? All hikers are welfare recipieits, You have to kiss arse if you take a job...all lawyers are scum bags and gods in your town....and money won't buy their loyalty?

First of all, money does buy their loyalty. They're bound to you via their professional requirements if they choose to be so (by taking a retainer). And secondly, oh for gads sake, why bother...move to a place where you can live with the type of people you prefer to socialize with and don't have to kiss arse to hold a job...where that is I wouldn't know...but it's probably a good idea to move if that's how you feel about your current community.

If I were in your situation, I would have gone to a lawyer a long time ago and found a way to re-write or void the contract. Seems like the weight limit overload and all these other things that they could be in violation of it could be used to modify the terms of the contract if they were documented. Might not have caused any damage, but could use them to re-negotiate terms. A lawyer involved might also get the town to listen.

If you don't trust the few lawyers in your municipality - seems like a smaller town - I would go to another town. I'd also see a lawyer that specialize in real estate and contract law, not just any lawyer.

"If custom homes with all the frills were everywhere on 1 acre lots with open space, for under 1.2million...... I'd just move."

Nicole, since you and your husband are retired, have you considered moving to another part of the country? Here are some properties that beat your parameters; all are under $1MM and have lots >3 acres.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/240-Stonegate-Dr_Hoover_AL_35242_1109187195

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2990-Brook-Highland-Dr_Birmingham_AL_35242_1110917824

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/217-Highland-View-Dr_Birmingham_AL_35242_1112044186

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/121-Connemara-Trl_Birmingham_AL_35242_1110037282

And finally, if you don't mind being about 10 - 15 minutes from the nearest grocery store & megamart, here's a nice house with plenty of privacy on 23 acres.

Here is a link that might be useful: spacious home on 23 acres for under $1MM

I have read the whole thread and the thing that strikes me most is that you think you could sell your property for a great amount of money with this "contract" easement issue hanging over it like the Sword of Damoclese.It sort of applies to this situation, see below.

Every prospective buyer I have ever known, including myself, looks at every piece of info about a property before buying. The law ,of course, says you have to disclose this "contract" easement to the buyer. I also know from my daughter who is in real estate in Atlanta , that she has every single customer she deals with go to the place they are thinking of obtaining and look at it at several different times of the day/night and different days of the week. It is a real eye opener on a property.

That being said I would be hard pressed to purchase your property with the fantastic home and views because of the huge nuisance of the easement. Maybe there will be someone, should you decide to sell, that won't care but a lot of folks would be as irritated as you seem to be.

As far as biking and hiking clubs being "welfare recipients" whoa...I will have to share that with all the NYCC members I ride with in New York and all the trail runners/hikers here in my town...they would be "intrigued" I am sure by that description LOL. c

Here is a link that might be useful: Sword of Damoclese

Nicole,

You are lucky you don't have to work for a living at your age. In today's environment, many people much older than you have to go back to work, IF they can get a job. Since you don't need to work, perhaps you might want to consider not taking a job away from the "welfare recipients" to whom you refer who spend their time hiking and bicycling so that the groups you join might then consist of people with whom you feel more compatible.

Like Igloochic, I shared your posts with an attorney who happens to be my DH. He just laughed. After practicing law for over 50 years, he's heard it all.

I'm bored...winter thing. I'm sure it will all seem like a minor thing come summer.

The "2" hiking clubs and one biking club I joined is around this small town. Not ALL clubs or ALL of anything was mentioned here.

The job I took, a year ago is working a customer service counter at a grocery store....not exactly my college major. :0) I've met a lot of nice people that will be friends for life and a few kooks! Ever work a complaint counter, kissing ass is the nature of the job...:0)

Ever heard a lawyer joke? Ever heard one where the lawyer was a hero....? NOT! :0)

DH is still working.....he loves his job..... they love him.....need I say more? He is also a native, will never move to another state. Like I said, lived in this house 19 years. I'm not trying to entertain myself by selling the house....just maybe the traffic is a bit much to endure for the rest of my life, so I'm looking at moving as an alternative.

I just haven't found an affordable alternative. The market hasn't tanked here.

You are truly perplexing me (and I'm being kind) because of your preconceived ideas of lawyers.
I'm done ..I don't even want to read this anymore.

And members of biking and hiking clubs! Gosh, Nicole, it sounds like you're suffering from a lot more than a bored, winter thing! Your last couple of posts make me think you have made much more of the water dept. traffic and cigarette butts problem than they really are. Maybe you know that, which is why you won't see a lawyer.

Good luck to you.

The impression I get from reading your posts is that you're more than bored, you sound very unhappy. You asked for opinions and then negate the advice you've received. I checked the Buying and Selling Forum to see if anyone there had better advice and nearly every one of them said to see an attorney.

I cannot understand why you think your only option is to put up with the situation as it exists now or move. That's 2 extremes - there is a reasonable alternative but since you apparently think lawyers are all 'scumbags' and refuse to contact one then yes- you are stuck. But it's your own doing. I feel very bad for you and hope things improve soon.

Nicole,

It is clear to me that you have more going on that you are willing to admit here. The mere fact that you would consult legal books but adamantly refuse to even consult with a professional attorney is suspicious. You have been provided with perfectly valid reasons why this contract may not be enforceable, but yet you insist on the "all or nothing" scenario as your only options. We can only give you advise here, but ultimately it is up to you to take off the blinders.

I wonder how much of this is just about the drama?? Seems to me you take great satisfaction in that aspect.

"Ever heard a lawyer joke? Ever heard one where the lawyer was a hero....? NOT! :0)"

That would be because the attorneys who do good things are not normally the butt of jokes. I am an attorney. There, I said it. I'm not a contract expert. Nope, I spent my time in litigation locking away serial sex offenders - my specialty was diagnosed mentally ill sexually violent predators. But I'm not a hero, and I'm not the subject of any jokes. I'm just a hard working American trying help people stay safe. Funny how that makes my profession seem laughable to you.

learn :) Your name suits you well I would bet. What an amazing job you have...it must be a learning experience with every case!

I have to admit the lawyer comment steamed me as well. The gal I was talking to is a contract lawyer and a very dear friend. SHe saves our state amazing amounts of money in doing her job correctly. That money is then available for the state to do other good things....I think she's a quiet hero just like you :)

I worked in a compliance department in a bank in alaska. Two wonderful attorneys worked there with me. Their job was of course to protect the bank, but to do so by ensuring that some goofy lender didn't take advantage of a customer with crazy terms and conditions. They weren't jokes :) They were pretty wonderful guys and are still great friends. They both volunteer on some wonderful charity boards. I'd say they're pretty quiet hero's as well.

Like many others who have posted here, I am truly confused about why you wouldn't want to consult a lawyer. You've convinced yourself that there are only two choices: put up with things as they are or move.

Why would you not want to have a (confidential) consultation with an attorney to see if there is any way to at least hold the water company to the contract language?

So since your your question gives only two options: "WWYD? move or stay?" my answer is: I would move. (But if I were truly in your situation I'd first try to find a way to stay in the house that I love by getting some legal advice...)

Seems to me you're in a smallish town and I could see why attorneys may appear to be "scumbags" to you, but as another poster pointed out, go to a different town and hire one.

My dh puts in 11 hour days serving his clients, sometimes on Saturday mornings. You pay him for his time and the thousands and thousands of dollars in his education to help you, and he'd be loyal to a FAULT. That is his job. If he didn't he'd be dis-barred. And he loves lawyer jokes, his clients email them to him all the time. :) But he'll also tell you there are bad lawyers, just as there are bad teachers, doctors, etc.

So skip the local attorneys who may have tie's with the city, and go out of town for good legal advice. All you'd be out if you didn't like it was a fee for one hour of work.