I moved into an apt complex in Aug 08 and I have been scammed too!
I read the utility adendum, I even had the leasing agent explain it to me.
She told me my water, trash and sewer would be around $40.00 per month.
Well, my bills are running around $120.00. I have been so angry about this, I called
everyone I can think of. I called The water company: they told me its not regulated and they can do anything they want. I called the Public Utilities commission and they said the same thing, with the expection that they have certain opinions but are unable to act since there are NO REGULATIONS!! So, one of them gave me a little direction as to what my next step could be. (Well, if you are so upset, email your local assemblymen and ask for a BDR, and have the law changed). I DID!!!
I'm optimistic, I get to testify when the bill gets drafted. I also understand that Im just one person and chances are, it may not go my way....But really, what do I have left?
I spend about 10hrs a week, trying to get my message to fellow apt dwellers. Heres what I have been publishing!!

Does anyone know what Ratio Utility Billing Systems and Master Meters are??

RATIO UTILITY BILLING SYSTEM (RUBS)- is a method of billing used for utilities based upon a formula of square footage, number of occupants, and rooms.
MASTER METERS- can be for Electricity, Gas, but mainly for Water and Sewage.
A master meter is one meter used for a whole apartment community. No individual meters, just one big one or a few to provide utilities for the apt community. can be 80 units or even a thousand.

HOW ARE APT OWNERS BLEEDING TENANTS THROUGH THIS BILLING METHOD????

Lets say you were looking into an apt for rent:

2/2 bath unit- Lush Landscaping, pools, hot tub, saunas, ect
$1100.00 +$25.00 flat rate for water, trash and sewer=$1125.00

2/2 bath unit- Lush landscaping, pools, hot tub, saunas, ect
$1075.00 +$40.00 for water, sewer, and trash based upon a formula of occupancy or the RUBS billing method. This is what the leasing agent tells you, "your bill will never exceed this". (Who would have better knowledge, than the staff??)
1075.00 +$40.00=$1115.00

you go with at #2 A dollar saved is a dollar earned RIGHT!
Well, the first of the month comes around and you get your first bills
$1075.00 Rent
$80.00 Water
$30.00 Sewer
$5.00 for Trash
$4.25 service fee- this is what the 3'rd party billing company charges to bill you Well, my grand total is $1194.25

WOW..........should have went with apt #1, you would have saved $69.25
Do you see where the dishonesty happens.
In order for the Apartment complexes who use such billing methods to stay competitive, they drop the rental rate a few dollars less than another apt community. What they forget to tell you is that they will get back the money plus some when the first of the month comes around.

When you complain about this practice, some people ask, well was it in your lease and how did you not know.

First, you have to consider this.
When you factor in your own water consumptions from past experience, you dont think BIG MONEY.
What the leasing agents forgets to tell you or do not fully understand is, nor is it in your lease or utility addendum:
1. all tenants pay for the leaks
2. all tenants pay for the pools
3. all tenants pay for the landscaping
4. all tenants pay for vacant units- which tend to have a higher vacancy rate, due to price of the unit and utilities, and the misleading billing methods they use
5. all tenants pay for every common area
6. all tenants pay more, when other tenants move in additional people and pets that are not on the lease.
7. What portion if any does the landowner pay, if any at all? 1%, 5%, 10%??
7. On top of all that, they all come up with a formula based upon square footage, number of people ON the LEASE and bedrooms.
One other thing to consider, when writing out your next rent check. Do you know that not all tenants may be paying the same rate. Some tenants may pay significantly lower rates, depending on how new the program is.
Now, if your water bill is 80.00 and sewer is $40.00 and you have a neighbor who may be on an old lease and they pay $30.00 for both, for a family of 4. Who is picking up the $90.00 difference??
Are we?? Well, we don’t know because they wont open the water bill up to us.
Don’t withhold you utility payments, that’s grounds for late fees and eviction. Instead,
Contact me, and I will put you in touch with a local representative who wants to
Help you and others like you. HOW?? She wants to draft a bill preventing apartments communities from using this billing method!
Final Thought:
When looking into apartments, some people choose quality over savings. When you have a apt community that has no pools, spa, lush landscaping, gym, clubhouse, you are going to pay significantly lower rent vs. another apt community that offers such amenities.
That’s how Market rents are set anywhere, someone has to pay for the operational cost to maintain such features and amenities..RIGHT….the more you have to offer, the more rent you can ask for….that’s fair! So, why would any apt community thinks its ok to pass overblown utility fees off to tenants, when the have already paid for such amenities in higher rent!
Would you have rented here or any other apt community if you had known the other factors, not included in your utility addendum that make up your overblown utility bills?? I think Not!
Do you think this billing method promotes water conservation? If I’m going to pay
This much is water, shouldn’t I at least get my moneys worth. That’s my thought!

Lew,its been awhile,glad to see you are still at it. I intend to pursue matters in court as soon as I get definitive closure from the BBB. Ista sent me a master bill and guess what? my apartment unit was not even listed, for the common area only bills we were billed entirely for and to boot anyone stating this practice is fair check out the news from a few months ago. There was a quad murder at timber ridge in ohio, it was broadcasted and made national news. In the report it stated there were the 4 men that were murdered along with 3 other men that also lived there. I hate to use this tragedy but it does prove a point. Only 4 people maximum should be residing in a 2 bedroom unit, unfortunatly it is common for residents to cram 7-10 or more people into an apartment. Without using seperate meters, I am paying for everyones laundry, pool water and showers for others who cannot abide by rules or the law. How can anyone say this is fair. I know for a fact there were months when my bill was extremely high for me and my daughter-300 in the spring, while nieghbors with far to many people paid less. The whole system is ridiculous and landlords suck at paperwork. Timber ridge was sold shortly after I moved out. The funny thing- They ask me to leave at the end of my lease and then after I complained loudly enough, I recieved notice to stay in thier community on june 1st-my move out date was the 2nd.

I lived in an Aimco properety and have been disputing thier bills for 2 years. My daughters room where the meter was, was also a fire hazard. One bedroom apartment not even 700 square feet and they tried to bill me almost 300.00. Called the EPA, the governer, weights and measures, the fbi,lawyers duke energy and nobody will help me. There is no jurisdiction. After requesting all bills from Ista, I was given notice to leave 2 days later. The building inspector was disgusted by the HVAC unit and still I am fighting to see what I can do about it. BBB closed case yesterday , lack of response from AIMCO/. Ista sent me something, but of course it listed no rates and now they are telling me i also paid for everyones heat because the heaters constantly run in the winter even though i turned my furnace off. I was also harrassed by the landlord before moving out who lived next door, and all the nieghbors quit talking to me because they were afraid they would be asked to leave as well. I was ioncredibly stressed before moving out due to everything that happebned and would really love it if a lawyer were to read this and be interested. Good person seeking justice.

Has anyone ever tried contesting apartment owners using Ratio Allocation Billing Systems (RUBS) and third party billing services for illegally selling drinking water to the public because they bill tenants separately for water without submetering? My research indicates that it is a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Section 1411 and an EPA memorandum/ruling on the subject in Dec. 2003. I live in Georgia, where the the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has primacy and is failing to enforce the law. No other state agency regulates apartment owners or the sale of water, not even the Public Service Commission. There is absolutely no oversight. So far, my lawyers like the case and are still researching it and hope to file a class action lawsuit on a contingency basis. The law firm specializes in environmentsl law and the lead attorney used to work for the EPA. A current EPA attorney told me I was right. The head of the EPA Region IV water office in Atlanta said I was right, until he found out a few days later that I was intending to file a complaint against all my landlord's 77 apartment complexes in 10 states, which caused him to choke and got his sphincter puckered up.

In 2000, Georgia passed a law, OGCA 12-5-180.1, making it legal for apartment owners to bill tenants separately for water/sewer using either submetering or RUBS and not be considered to be operating a public water system. Two years later, in 2002, Georgia deleted the language that said apartment owners using such billing methods wouldn't be considered public water systems, in order to comply with the superceding federal code and the SDWA. However, the Georgia EPD never changed their enforcement policy one iota.

I and all the other tenants where I live are infuriated by the deceptive tactics of the landlord and the doubling of water/sewer bills in a year since the new owner took over the property and contracted with National Water and Power as the third party billing service. Tenants in one bedroom apartments are paying far in excess of single family home owners in the area and some families in a two bedroom unit are paying over $100/month. The landlord is abusing the tenants with common area water usage, like filling the swimming pool with 35,000 gallons of water and illegally using the sprinkler system for 22 days during a ban on outdoor water usage and billing tenants for it. I reported the water ban violation and got their irrigation line shut off and locked during our level 4 drought condition. If I am successful with the lawsuit against the landlord's six Georgia properties, all of which do the same thing and use unfair business practices, it will set a precedent and lawsuits will surely follow all over the country.

I am also working on stopping the landlord from playing big brother and controlling who we can get other utilities from, like contracting for natural gas as a sole provider on the property, while making an additional profit at the expense of the tenants. Comments are welcome. Highly POed