Water Meters

[Bryan]

Chrissy,
We are just finishing installing water meters in all our residents homes on our park... meter is inside home and remote "reader" on exterior of home. The city reads only the main meter for the park and bills me for the monthly water consumption of the entire park. My manager will be reading the individual homes water meters monthly and will bill accordingly... my question is this: What has worked out best for you, send a monthly bill to each home owner for this months lot rent and last months water consumption or bill them separately (15th of the month) for their water? Thanks

[Chrissy Jackson]

Normally, water billings are sent in combination with the rent billing. This saves the costs of double invoicing. And, usually the billing of the residents is on the same cycle as the master meter reading. In most cases, this is once a month. But, in some areas, the master meter is read quarterly. Then, if the residents are billed monthly, there must be a quarterly summary done to ensure you are not billing more than the master meter reads. Also, be careful of how you apply late fees. Some states permit late fees on utility billings separate from rent. Some states do not permit late fees of any type on utility billings. Be sure your wording is clear on your invoices. And, be sure you provide meter readings (both beginning and ending) with the total usage stated.

[Lance Nerland]

We used to bill it on the first of the month on a seperate invoice. However, I convinced the city to take over the entire water system. No more water expense or repairs for me