R.U.B.S. – A Method of Billing Without Sub-Meters

In order to recover some or all of the rising cost of water, more and more apartments communities are turning to a billing method known as RUBS (Ratio Utility Billing System).

There are two reasons why owners are choosing the RUBS method. One is that their apartment community only has one meter to measure the entire usage of the community and there are no individual meters for each unit. The other reason may be that a sub-metering system is giving inaccurate readings, and is too costly to repair. Or, individual meters are too costly to install, sometimes as much as $250 – $300 per unit. A RUBS billing method can be implemented quickly and cost recovery starts within 30 days of the start of the program.

The RUBS billing method involves a fair allocation of utility cost among residents. It can be used to recover water, gas, electricity, trash or any other cost involved in the operation of a property. The calculation is based upon one or more factors such as square footage or number of occupants, along with the total utility bill for the property. The charges to the residents will fluctuate as the total property bill changes each month. An added benefit of this method is that usage normally decreases when residents become responsible for their utility bills.

Common Questions About The RUBS Billing Method

Our “Risk Free Trial” program offers 3 months of billing before signing a contract. We want you to be sure that you are satisfied with our billing services.

We will need a current rent roll and your latest utility bill to set up a RUBS billing system for you.

We will reimburse the utility payments within 30 days of the due date of the first bill.

You can choose whether you want us to collect or whether you want to collect on-site at your leasing office.

Yes, we calculate bills and mail them to your residents via U.S. Mail or electronically via email. We only require a monthly rent roll to keep our records up-to-date. If you want to collect payments, you will have online access to our software to post payments to the resident’s account. Our state-of -the-art software is user-friendly and features easy to read reports for your records.

There are only 2 states that do not currently permit RUBS billing; Mississippi and Massachusetts.

Yes, legally you cannot charge more than the total community utility bill.

No, we do not keep a percentage of the money we collect. All collected amounts and late fees are reimbursed to the property, reduced only by our service fee.

We can set up your property to start billing within 30 days. Go to our Request Info page to send us an email with questions about our RUBS billing method.
  • Save Cost Of Meter Installation

  • Add To Property Value

  • Fast, Free, Easy Start-Up

  • Recover Major Utility Costs

  • Keep Your Rents Competitive

  • Increase Utility Conservation