As an apartment manager or owner, it can be challenging to bring in new changes for tenants without being met with some level of resistance. Often tenants are upset when they initially hear that the landlord is moving from a flat rate for water usage through the building to a submetering system.
Often the cause of this resistance is a misunderstanding of the advantages of apartment water submetering. By providing current tenants with information and also with the facts about the benefits of submetering, it will be much easier for everyone to see the value of this option.
Individual Billing
For each tenant in a shared utility situation in a rental property, the average cost of the monthly bill is divided by the number of similar units. What is typically not factored in or considered, even by the tenants, is that not all similar units have the same number of people and the same water usage.
Without apartment water submetering it is possible for a two-bedroom apartment with one tenant to pay the same as a two-bedroom apartment that is home to two adults and one child. The amount of water used will be different, but the amount paid will be the same.
Incentive for Water Use Reduction
With apartment water submetering, apartments that use less water will pay less for their utility bills. For many consumers, particularly those that are interested in environmental issues or in simply lowering their monthly bills, this is a very big incentive to change water usage patterns.
Additionally, with apartment submetering, irregularities in use, which may indicate leaks, can be quickly detected and repaired. This not only reduces the risk of high utility bills but it also helps to lower the risk of leaks causing damage throughout the building.
