BiggerPockets

The water bill was extremely high for December use. Over double than average. Over 16,000 gallons above avg. (billed every two months). For 8 months the bill has been consistent.

These set of tenants are very honest and always help me and I trust them. A few were traveling for the holidays so they were not home full time. Nothing was left running while they were gone.

I tested the meter tonight with no water running for 3 hours and the meter did not move.

I turned the main street water line off a month ago for the first time since owning this property and I am wondering if this made the meter jump up to be erroneousness when it was turned back on? I mentioned this theory to the water dept and they said the reading has to be from actual water use and if the meter was at fault (broken) it would just not move at all and since it moved its not broke.

Does anyone have knowledge about if water meters can erroneously jump?

Also, the meter reading from today compared to the bill date three weeks ago is dead on to where their consistent use is as I expected.

What are your thoughts?

Tenants are lying about 16000 gallons of extra use? I highly doubt this since even my sec 8 tenants are not near this figure.

I appreciate any thoughts.. I am stumped.

That happened here over the holidays as well. It turned out the guy they subleted to had no idea how to conserve water an just left a hose running in the back garden. Perhaps they let somebody else stay there while they were gone? Otherwise I have no idea.

No Sprinkler system.
I have a rule where there is no outside hose allowed to be used and they follow it.

Sorry for multi clicking refresh

Check the toilets. You don't say how many units are involved, but it sounds like a toilet was running. It's about the only thing I can think of that will go unreported by tenants yet easily cause the usage you describe.

Something consumed the water. Leaky toilet, a faucet left open a tiny bit, something. I assume you pay the bill, and not the tenants. Sorry, pay up and move on.

I assume this is a multi-unit property, since you are paying the water, and you mention that it is a "set" of tenants (to me that means more than 1 tenant).

My guess is that one of the tenants did have something running while they were away; it could just be that the toilet flapper was stuck open (or it could have been a faucet). And now that it has been discovered by you and you have a big bill - well, that tenant won't admit it out of fear of getting stuck with that bill.

Do any of the tenants have laundry in their units? Lots of water consumed there, especially if somebody had "guests" over who decided to do laundry using your water.

Ha! Take it out of the pet deposit!

My electric co-op where I just moved from did this fairly often, The meter reader was afraid of my Great Pyrenees (big white dog) and would estimate. I'd occasionally get a crazy bill because of it.

How much $$ was the bill?

One of my tenants just got a $645 electric bill which is way more than any prior month. Don't know why yet, but I'm getting my heat/AC guy to check it out.