How to Dispute Unfair Utility Billing with Superservicios

Receiving an electricity, water, or gas bill with a 200% increase for no apparent reason is a frustrating situation that thousands of households in Colombia experience every day. When faced with an excessive bill, the typical reaction usually splits between paying with resignation to avoid disconnection or refusing to pay anything at all and risking service termination. Neither of these extremes is the right path. The Colombian public utilities regulatory framework has a solid procedure to defend users' pockets.

1. Identify the Cause: What Constitutes an Atypical or Excessive Charge?

Before filing a formal claim, it is essential to determine the nature of the charge. In Colombia, the relationship between public utility companies (ESP) and users is governed by Law 142 of 1994, which establishes that the charge must be based primarily on individual measurement of actual consumption (Art. 146).

The most frequent reasons for challenges correspond to three specific scenarios:

• Significant deviation in consumption (Art. 149): This occurs when the billed volume differs drastically from the average of the last three periods in bimonthly billing or six months in monthly billing. The law prohibits charging this atypical value immediately without first conducting a technical investigation into the causes of the increase.
• Untimely or late charges (Art. 150): Companies cannot charge for services provided more than five months late, unless fraud or bad faith by the subscriber is demonstrated.
• Unauthorized concepts or measurement failures: Charges for insurance, unauthorized home assistance, arithmetic errors in meter reading, or incorrect application of the socioeconomic stratum. To verify if your base rate and subsidies correspond to your home, check our guide on how to calculate the cost of public utilities by stratum in Colombia..

Watch out for internal leaks: if the meter records consumption because there is a breakdown in your house or apartment's private installations (broken pipes, faulty toilet floats), the law attributes that loss to the user once the company verifies that the meter operates within the permitted margin of error. If you suspect an invisible leak, it is advisable to rely on maintenance professionals; in our guide to hiring home maintenance and repair services in Colombia we explain how to rule out structural damage before accepting the charge.

2. The Golden Rule: How to Avoid Disconnection by Paying What Is Not Disputed

The greatest fear when filing a claim is suffering a service suspension. However, Article 155 of Law 142 of 1994 establishes a categorical protection: no public utility company can demand prior payment of the sums under dispute to receive, process, or resolve the disagreement, nor can they suspend the service for failing to pay the amounts in litigation.

To enforce this guarantee without falling into arrears, you must follow this procedure:

1. Request a provisional bill or breakdown: Go to the provider's virtual or in-person service office and demand a partial payment bill that excludes the disputed amount.
2. Pay the usual historical average: Pay the undisputed concepts (legitimate fixed charges, sanitation, undisputed sewage, and the equivalent of the average of your normal historical consumption) by the usual deadline.
3. Keep the receipt: By keeping undisputed obligations up to date, the company is legally barred from ordering a disconnection.

If the company attempts to arbitrarily suspend the service while the claim is in a formal process, it commits a sanctionable offense. Remember that if an irregular interruption were to occur, charges for restoration must comply with the regulations we analyze in our article on the Superservicios rules for reconnection charges..

3. Step by Step: Filing the Right to Petition or PQR with the Company

The defense process consists of strict stages. You cannot go directly to the Superintendency of Public Residential Services (SSPD) without having previously exhausted the claim before the provider company (EPM, Enel, Vanti, Acueducto de Bogotá, Triple A, Air-e, Afinia, etc.).

To file the PQR (Petition, Complaint, or Claim), present a clear and respectful written document that contains:

• Full name of the subscriber or user, ID number, property address, and notification email address.
• Account, contract, or service registration number as it appears on the bill.
• Precise explanation of the facts: for example, indicating that the average consumption for the last six months was 12 m³ of water or 140 kWh of energy, and that in the billed period, 48 m³ or 380 kWh were liquidated without any change in the residents or equipment of the property.
• Express request: that Article 149 of Law 142 of 1994 be applied, that the significant deviation be investigated through a technical visit with meter inspection, and that the bill be reliquidated charging only the historical average while the assessment concludes.
• Documentary evidence: a copy of the last three or four previous bills and a clear photograph of the meter taken on the same day of filing where the current reading can be seen.

The Positive Administrative Silence (C3 and C4): In accordance with Article 158 of Law 142 of 1994 and Article 123 of Decree Law 2150 of 1995, the company has exactly 15 business days to resolve and notify the decision. If this period expires without you being formally notified, Positive Administrative Silence is established by law: the claim is understood to be resolved in your favor and the company is legally obligated to accept your demands within the following 72 hours.

4. What to Do if the Company Denies the Claim: Reconsideration and Subsidiary Appeal

In the event that the provider responds negatively, claiming the meter works correctly or that the consumption is attributable to the property, do not be discouraged. The company's response is not the final word.

To continue the defense, you must present in a single document the Request for Reconsideration and Subsidiary Appeal (Articles 154 and 159 of Law 142 of 1994; SSPD Concept 225 of 2025). Pay close attention to these critical points:

• The mandatory period is 5 business days: Counted from the business day following the date of notification of the response. If you let this time pass, the decision will become final, and you will lose the opportunity for the Superintendency of Public Services (Superservicios) to review your case.
• A single document: In the same text, you ask the company itself to reconsider its decision (reconsideration) and add an express clause stating: "In addition to the above, in the event that this request for reconsideration is resolved unfavorably or partially negatively, I expressly request that the appeal be granted and the entire administrative file be sent to the Superintendency of Public Services for its final decision.".
• Presentation before the same company: The appeal must be filed through the service provider's channels, not directly to the Superservicios. It is the provider's obligation to evaluate the reconsideration and, if they do not agree with you, formally send the records to the SSPD.

What happens if the company improperly refuses to grant the appeal, arguing it is late or for other reasons? In that case, you have a period of 5 business days to file directly with the Superservicios the Complaint Appeal, attaching proof of filing so that the control entity can order the company to submit the file.

5. How to File and Follow the Process before the Superservicios

When the file reaches the Superintendency of Public Services, a technical and interdisciplinary team examines whether the company respected due process, complied with the investigation protocols for CREG or CRA deviations, and if the charges comply with the regulated tariff framework.

Procedures before the Superservicios are completely free and do not require the hiring of lawyers or proxies. You can file complementary procedures, follow up, and submit complaints through their official channels:

• Virtual platform "Te Resuelvo": Through the single window on the official web portal (superservicios.gov.co).
• Institutional filing email: sspd@superservicios.gov.co.
• National toll-free customer service line: 01-8000-910305 (or in Bogotá at (601) 691-3006).

The decision of the Superservicios ends the administrative path. If the ruling favors the user, the company must re-invoice the period, credit the favorable balances in the following billing cycles, or refund the money collected improperly.

6. Tenants and Landlords: Responsibilities in Leases

Disproportionate charges frequently generate severe tensions in lease agreements. To avoid disputes between the parties, it is important to keep the following considerations in mind:

• Standing to claim: Both the property owner and the tenant (as the direct user who enjoys the service and assumes payment) have legal standing to file petitions, complaints, and appeals before the provider.
• Guarantee clauses: When signing urban housing contracts under Law 820 of 2003, parties usually agree on deposits or public service policies to safeguard outstanding debts after returning the property. To structure these agreements legally, check our guide on the public service guarantees in lease contracts in Colombia.
• Internal leaks or technical neglect: If an excessive increase is caused by the deterioration of hidden internal pipes not attributable to the tenant's daily use, the repair is the owner's responsibility, while minor locative maintenance corresponds to the tenant.

According to active ads on Colombia Move (September 2026), the services section concentrates 48 active ads and nearly 4,900 visits in the last month — a sign of demand from owners seeking to manage properties with greater documentary clarity and hire qualified technicians for preventive hydro-sanitary and electrical checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Do I have to pay the full bill before filing a claim for overcharging?

No, Colombian law prohibits demanding the payment of disputed amounts as a condition for processing a claim (Article 155 of Law 142 of 1994). However, it is mandatory to pay non-contested concepts and the habitual average of recent consumption on time to avoid legal suspension of the service.

❓ How long does the public service company have to respond to my claim?

The provider company has exactly 15 business days from the day following the formal filing of the right of petition or PQR. This mandatory term is set by Article 158 of Law 142 of 1994 and Article 123 of Decree-Law 2150 of 1995.

❓ What happens if the company does not answer within 15 business days?

Positive Administrative Silence is automatically established in the user's favor. This means the law assumes the company accepted all the demands of your claim, so it is obligated to re-liquidate the invoice and desist from the contested charges.

❓ How long do I have to file for reconsideration and appeal if they reject my claim?

You have a strict deadline of 5 business days from the formal notification of the company's decision. You must present the request for reconsideration and, subsidiarily, the appeal in the same document before the provider company; the SSPD reviews after referral or by complaint if they deny the appeal.

❓ Can I appeal directly to the Superservicios in the first instance?

No, the appeal must be filed with the same utility provider that issued the invoice. The provider will evaluate the request, and if it decides to uphold the charge, it is legally required to forward the entire administrative file to the Superservicios.

❓ Is there any cost to file a complaint with the Superservicios, or do I need a lawyer?

The process is completely free and does not require intermediaries or legal representatives. Any citizen can file their petitions and appeals directly through the virtual or physical platforms provided by the Superintendency.