One item up for discussion has to do with how landlords of rent-controlled apartments bill renters for utilities. Right now, some divide utility costs based on how many people live in each apartment and the unit’s size, not on how much water, gas or electricity each apartment actually uses. In other words, if one apartment’s usage is very high one month, other tenants can still get stuck paying more than their fair share. That makes budgeting for utility bills difficult.
The Housing Department wants the council to prohibit that practice and ask property owners to install sub meters at each apartment so families are charged only for what they actually use.
I wonder how that would impact condos where the HOA pays certain utilities. It’s common that trash, recycling, and sewer & water are paid by the HOA. Would they make condo buildings have individual meters too?
I don’t think it is always possible.
Apartments are usually built in a way that adjacent units have mirrored floor plans so that the bath of unit A lines up with the bath of unit B.
From what I have seen, the water supply line runs to A and from there to B.
Correct me if wrong, but having two units joint by the tubing saves some $ for the builder. Right?
Now, in my house, they conveniently installed all the tubing on the wall that connects to our closet. Leaving the wall facing the stairs just to hang the towels. We are awaken by any of our kids every time they flush the toilet.
I’m sure it saves a lot of copper and labor related to installing it.
That said, I actually have one 4plex where each apartment has its own water entry point and with its own water shut-off. Let me tell you, this is the best candidate for a subdivision. Because, also each apartment has its own water-heater inside the unit.
Which by the way makes the Housing Department plan even more difficult.
Most multi-family buildings have one big water heater for all units. So the owner is supposed to install x submeters for cold water and another x submeters for hot water???
So, about 5 years back, I asked a plumber to install 4 submeters at the entry points of the 4 units, so that I could bill the tenants.
The plumber said something like “it’s illegal for you to meter water and bill for it” (I would legally have to hire a 3rd party to read the meters and bill the tenants). I could not find evidence that he was right but he refused the job, so I let it at that and each tenant pays 25%. (That’s legal.)
