What is property-billed water?
Property-billed water means the apartment community pays the water utility and then bills you for your share. If you’re comparing new apartments in Fort Worth, you’ll see it on many fee sheets as a water, sewer, or trash line that changes month to month. It isn’t a flat fee, so it needs its own estimate.
There are two common ways a property bills water: ratio billing, often called RUBS, and submetering. They sound alike, and they work very differently. The method your building uses changes what you’ll pay and what you can control.
How does RUBS work?
RUBS stands for Ratio Utility Billing System. The property takes the building’s total water bill and divides it among the units by a formula. Common formulas use the number of occupants, the unit’s square footage, or a mix of the two. Your bill reflects the building’s use, not just yours.
That has two effects. A short shower won’t lower your bill much, because everyone’s use sets the total. And a larger unit or more occupants usually means a larger share. Many properties also add a monthly service charge to cover billing costs.
How does submetering work?
Submetering puts a meter on your unit, and you pay for the water that meter records. The property bills you at the utility’s rates, often with a service charge. Your habits matter here. Use less, and the bill goes down.
The cap is different by method
A 9% service-charge cap applies to submetered water. How a cap applies to RUBS service charges is still being verified, so we ask each property how its charge is set.
| RUBS (ratio billing) | Submetering | |
|---|---|---|
| What sets your bill | A formula: occupants, square feet, or both | Your unit’s meter reading |
| Does your use change it? | A little | Yes |
| Service charge | Common | Common, with a 9% cap |
| What to ask for | The formula and last year’s totals | The rate and the service charge |
What must the lease show under 16 TAC Chapter 24?
Texas rules for property-billed water sit in 16 TAC Chapter 24. Before you sign, the lease must tell you the billing method. It must also include information about last year’s water bills, so you can estimate the cost. If those details aren’t in the lease packet, we’d ask for them in writing before you apply.
Here’s what we’d look for in the water section of any lease:
- The billing method. RUBS, submetering, or a flat fee.
- The formula, if it’s RUBS. Occupants, square feet, or a mix.
- Last year’s bills. Totals or averages for the building or for similar units.
- The service charge. The amount and how it’s set.
- Who to call with a billing question. Often a third-party billing company.
How do you estimate water in your true monthly?
True monthly is net effective rent plus required fees, utilities, and parking. Water belongs in the utilities part. For a flat fee, we add the fee. For RUBS or submetering, we use last year’s figures for a similar unit, plus the service charge, as the estimate. You can see the method on our true monthly method page.
Water usually sits alongside other monthly lines, like bulk internet, valet trash, and pest service. Our guide on required monthly fees covers those, so you can see the whole monthly number in one place.
A worked water estimate
Here’s how we’d estimate water for a one-bedroom when the lease uses ratio billing. This is a labeled illustration with made-up numbers, to show the steps.
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| Last year’s average for similar units, from the lease disclosure | $42 a month |
| Monthly service charge | $4 a month |
| Seasonal swing to plan for | Summer months run higher |
| Estimate we’d add to true monthly | About $46 a month |
If the building submeters instead, we’d look at the same disclosure, then ask about the rate per thousand gallons and how the service charge is set. Your own use matters more under submetering, so a one-person household often lands below the average.
Two notes from experience. First, new buildings in lease-up don’t always have a full year of history yet. In that case, ask what the property is using as its estimate, and how it will update once there’s a year of bills. Second, sewer and trash are often billed on the same line as water. Ask for the split, so you can compare it with a building that bills them separately.
Whatever the method, write the estimate into your comparison as its own line. That way a building with a lower base rent and a higher water bill doesn’t look cheaper than it is.
What should you ask the leasing office?
We’d ask four questions, in writing, before you tour. How is water billed here? What did a unit like this pay on average last year? What is the monthly service charge? Who handles billing questions? A dated email answer is the version we put in your shortlist.
Water setup varies by city too. In Fort Worth Water’s area, a direct account carries a $50 deposit that can be waived with a 12-month utility letter. In a property-billed building, the property usually handles the account. Either way, we’ll help you set it up before move-in.
