You'll need your new address, move-in date, and your landlord's name and phone number. You also need to know whether your new place needs gas service or if it is all-electric, and whether your landlord furnishes any utilities. You'll have to provide us with your next-of-kin's name, address, and phone number. You'll need a photo ID and proof that you are a student or staff member of The University of Alabama.

No. Only one person per apartment or house needs to join. The utilities will all be placed in one person's name and that person will be the one responsible for seeing to it that the bills are paid.

The utility companies require us to drop inactive members in October of each year. Therefore, we require all members who want to remain active to renew between August 1 and September 30. The maximum renewal fee is only $20. You don't have to renew after you establish credit with the utility companies. To see whether you have established credit, call each utility and ask them if you need to renew your OCA membership.

Your name will be placed on the "Drop List" that is provided to the utility companies. If you have not established your own credit with the utility companies, they will require you to either reinstate your OCA membership or pay your deposit. Some utility companies send out notices. Others just place the deposit on your October or November bill. If you recieve a notice, or see a deposit on your bill, you can reinstate your membership.

Please be sure to contact each utility company to let them know the date you want service removed from your name. The utilities will also need an address where they can send you your final utility bills. Please don't neglect the final bill. If it becomes overdue, the utilities can require OCA to pay on your account which causes the addition of service charges and fees. Please don't leave service on in your name for a friend or roommate to use. Frequently friends and roommates who were trusted to pay the utilities fail to do so, and this causes YOUR credit with the utility companies to be damaged. If the bill is incurred in YOUR name, it is YOUR responsibility. Utility costs can rapidly increase when you're not there to see to it that the bill is paid!

If you have left an overdue balance with a utility company for a final bill, the utility company can require OCA to pay them the amount of the deposit we guaranteed them on your behalf. We always send out a letter notifying you that a utility has requested a payment BEFORE we have to pay it. If you pay the bill in full before the utility company requires OCA to pay it, you can avoid the additional service charges and fees that are charged AFTER OCA pays on the account. Once we have made a payment on your account to a utility company, the amount plus service charges and fees becomes due to OCA. At this point, we will send another letter and will begin sending Statements. If you fail to reimburse OCA for the amounts we have had to pay the utility companies, we eventually have to turn the account over to the Credit Bureau for full collection.

If you left the utilities on in your name for your roommate to use, the bill is legally your bill. The roommate may have a moral obligation to pay the bill, but they do not have a legal obligation to pay it. As long as the service was used while your name was on the account, the bill is your total responsibility. We recommend that in order to protect your credit that you pay the bill immediately and then seek reimbursement from your roommate.