Water bill is very high and no visible leaks

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Water bill is very high and no visible leaks

Heather De lap
Member since 2011 · 1 post · 27 votes

So very long story shortened my water bill is extremely high this month. We average $35.00 a month and this month it was $151.20. The jerk landlord told us in a very nasty little note to check out water leaks which we did and don't have. He claims we went through 19,500 gallons of water in April which means we used 650 gallons a day for 30 days. Not possible. We checked for leaks in the house and under it. We found nothing. We have an issue with a leaky toilet but it's been that way for 2 years and the bill is never higher than $35.00. Any ideas if this is an underground leak that has nothing to do with me or is my landlord price gouging me?

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Aly W.
Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
15y

A running toilet can certainly jack up the bill! I had a tenant who's toilet ran for the 5 months he was there and he never said a word. I was stuck with a $1200 water bill after he was evicted.

Definitely turn off everything and check the meter, some have a sort of clockface and the little "hand" will be moving if there is any water running. Call the water company as well, they will come out to check if there is a leak or a problem in the line from the house to the water main.

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  • Angela Carter
    Member since 2021 · 1 post · 0 votes
    5y

    Well that seems to be the norm.  I live in a mobile home park and every since Horizon Land Management took over in March our water bills have gone up.  Mine was around $35 every month for 2 years and then when they got the park it went up to $198 and another person in the park paid $138.  I refused to pay it and only paid what it had been for that long.  My bill is now up to $55 and I live alone, never home during the day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and now since it's summer I'm not home most weekends during the day.  Don't water plants, don't wash my truck, don't have a dishwasher, do laundry once a week (one load and I have a water saving washer)  The meter has been checked twice by the maintenance man who doesn't know anything about remote reading meters.

    Know how you feel.  A big rip off 

    0Reply
  • Rick Albert
    Real Estate Agent · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    You can also check the irrigation lines in case in the middle of the night the sprinklers are going on for a long period of time.  It's a long shot but thought it would be worth mentioning.

    1Reply
  • Amber Forkey
    Property Manager · Watertown, NY · Member since 2021 · 142 posts · 78 votes
    5y

    Apologies if this has already been brought up but it's possible a neighbor has gotten into the basement unknowingly and hooked up a garden hose and helped themselves to free water. Saw that happen to someone in my area and the owners ended up having to get a lock for the basement door. 

    1Reply
  • Mark Cruse
    Investor · Fort Washington, MD · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    My units are using sometimes 3 times more utilities than any other house around there. Such a coincidence that I pay all utilities. Most likely they are selling electric to others with an extension cord,  in conjunction with multiple unauthorized people living there. 

    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Mark Cruse:

    My units are using sometimes 3 times more utilities than any other house around there. Such a coincidence that I pay all utilities. Most likely they are selling electric to others with an extension cord,  in conjunction with multiple unauthorized people living there. 

     This is not as far fetched as it might seem. I once caught a house stealing the water of the house next door by using a hose with two female ends on it, and sneaking over at night and hooking up from their hose bib to the neighbor's hose bib and then taking it down in the morning. 

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  • Mark Cruse
    Investor · Fort Washington, MD · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    @JD Martin yes, nowhere near far fetched depending on what neighborhood you are in. I pay all utilities and it would be very easy for them to run a cord next door for maybe $50 a month. 

    1Reply
  • Melissa S Vrobel
    Investor · Orlando, FL · Member since 2021 · 79 posts · 36 votes
    5y

    As a landlord, I can tell you that I had a tenant where the waste pipe was damaged (by an armadillo we think).  He had his water bill double because the location of the rental reclaims water and we are charged by total usage and the water pipe (even after the meter) had rain/sprinkler water going into it constantly.

    0Reply
  • Sherry McQuageBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Moore County, NC · Member since 2020 · 169 posts · 141 votes
    5y

    Is there an outdoor seal **** (spigot)?  Is it possible that someone has been "borrowing" water from the property without your knowledge?  Anyone washing cars to raise money...someone filling up water jugs, or watering newly planted forests nearby?  Just a thought.

    0Reply
  • John Moisa
    Member since 2021 · 8 posts · 1 vote
    5y

    I had the same situation a few years ago it turns out the toilet had a small leak at the stopper inside the toilet tank. it was constantly trying to fill the tank

    0Reply
  • Jason Cacioppo
    Real Estate Agent · Commerce CIty, CO · Member since 2018 · 127 posts · 78 votes
    5y

    I'm a big fan of "if you don't like it, leave". If you already have a poor relationship with your landlord for any reason its best to cut ties.

    0Reply
  • Genny Li
    Baltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 432 posts · 281 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Dick M.:

    meters here have a little triangle in the center of the dial that turns when water runs, it will move every few seconds for even a drip. Not familiar with your location, here in freezing country, pipes don't go underground after the meter...

     What do you mean "pipes don't go underground after the meter?????" It says you're in FL as well of Maine.  Of course they do there.  Where do you think pipes are in a slab foundation????

    0Reply
  • Genny Li
    Baltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 432 posts · 281 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Sherry McQuage:

    Is there an outdoor seal **** (spigot)?  Is it possible that someone has been "borrowing" water from the property without your knowledge?  Anyone washing cars to raise money...someone filling up water jugs, or watering newly planted forests nearby?  Just a thought.

     Sillcock. lol. I died that that was ****'d.

    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Genny Li:
    Originally posted by @Dick M.:

    meters here have a little triangle in the center of the dial that turns when water runs, it will move every few seconds for even a drip. Not familiar with your location, here in freezing country, pipes don't go underground after the meter...

     What do you mean "pipes don't go underground after the meter?????" It says you're in FL as well of Maine.  Of course they do there.  Where do you think pipes are in a slab foundation????

     What he means is that meters tend to be inside the house in very cold climates, so any water line after the meter would already be inside the house. Before the meter would refer to the service line from the water main to the meter. When I was in Ohio, all of our meters were in basements to prevent freezing, since the meter box would need to be a significant depth if it were outside. Down here in the south, meters are in the ground usually right at the street, so there would be a lot of water line after the meter but before it entered the house. 

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  • Genny Li
    Baltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 432 posts · 281 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @JD Martin:
    Originally posted by @Genny Li:
    Originally posted by @Dick M.:

    meters here have a little triangle in the center of the dial that turns when water runs, it will move every few seconds for even a drip. Not familiar with your location, here in freezing country, pipes don't go underground after the meter...

     What do you mean "pipes don't go underground after the meter?????" It says you're in FL as well of Maine.  Of course they do there.  Where do you think pipes are in a slab foundation????

     What he means is that meters tend to be inside the house in very cold climates, so any water line after the meter would already be inside the house. Before the meter would refer to the service line from the water main to the meter. When I was in Ohio, all of our meters were in basements to prevent freezing, since the meter box would need to be a significant depth if it were outside. Down here in the south, meters are in the ground usually right at the street, so there would be a lot of water line after the meter but before it entered the house. 

     But his location says "Maine and Florida." If he's in Florida, too, he would understand that in all parts of the country Zone 8 and warmer, there's usually supply running underground past the meter.  That's my protest.

    0Reply
  • Genny Li
    Baltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 432 posts · 281 votes
    5y

    Argh. I'm an idiot. This is a necrothread from 10 years ago.  DIE, thread! DIE!

    0Reply
  • Tricia O'Brien
    Investor · Anchorage, AK · Member since 2015 · 267 posts · 76 votes
    5y

    I would sure appreciate it if someone could  help me figure out this annoying water bill problem with an older house in Indiana (over 100 years old).  

    It's been vacant for about 6 months now.  When the last tenant lived there, the water bill (which the tenants paid) was consistently higher than what the property manger thought it should be by about 100%. When I called the water company they said these tenants usage was consistently high so they refused to come out and check the line because they only did that if there was a sudden jump in usage. Property manager looked once in basement and found no leaks.

    So I just dropped the issue for about 8-9 months.

    Now, with it empty,  one handyman said there was something wrong with the toilet. I had a plumber come out on 6/30/21 who replaced a flapper and the lever on the toilet. 

    Then for the period July 17 to Aug 16 (still vacant) my water bill was about $55 for 5500 gallons of usage !!  During that time the only activity was that I had a handyman working there for about 10-14 days to paint the entire interior, put new flooring in one room , and a couple of other small projects. And a housecleaner was there to clean all the floors and windows and do general cleaning (1-2 days)

    Does it seem normal that painting the interior of a 1300 square foot house and housecleaning (1-2 days)  for the same house would use that much water?

    Should I try to demand the water company put on a new meter? 

    What is the deal with checking the toilet with dye?

    It's a 1 bathroom house.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

    I have to pay the sewer bill if the tenant's default on it, so I'd like to get the water bill down...the sewer bill is based on the usage of water.

    0Reply
  • Lawson Cronic
    New to Real Estate · Athens, GA · Member since 2021 · 15 posts · 6 votes
    5y

    Check the water meter. If the dial turns then you there me be a leak

    0Reply
  • Timothy Hill Jr
    New to Real Estate · Latrobe, PA · Member since 2021 · 9 posts · 4 votes
    5y

    Your water line could be broken under ground between the residence and the street.

    0Reply
  • Annette Merxado
    Member since 2021 · 3 posts · 3 votes
    5y

    You will have to find the leak fix it and ask the water company to give you a credit.  I live in Florida that happened to me last month and my water bill went from $10 per month to $450 tree broke the pipe it only leaked for 1 night.  the water company checked my normal usage and gave me a credit for the rest.

    1Reply
  • Roderick Angay
    Guam · Member since 2020 · 11 posts · 0 votes
    5y

    Look like a running toilet that happen to us before which stucked. If next month gonna be the same, I suggest call plumber/professional and have it check.   

    0Reply
  • Jason Klamert
    Investor · Arnold, MO · Member since 2021 · 4 posts · 3 votes
    4y

    I would stop all water usage in the house and then check the meter and see if it is still running. I work in the natural gas industry and sometimes our meters fall out of calibration. It wouldn't surprise me if a water meter could fall out of calibration or over reporting usage data. I suggest following up with the utility and have them double check the meter. If you have an underground leak, you may notice that certain areas of the yard do not dry up. Keep an observant eye open and you may be able to spot such an occurrence. 

    Best of luck,

    Jay

    1Reply
  • Judy Parker
    Rental Property Investor · Closter, NJ · Member since 2015 · 884 posts · 722 votes
    4y

    It's always the Toilet.

    0Reply
  • Alecia LovelessPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    4y

    @Heather De lap I know nothing about this because I’m new to meters, my town charges a flat fee. Does 83 gallons per unit per day seem reasonable? I got a 6 month bill which had approximately 60,000 gallons of water on it for my 4-plex that each unit has 1 tenant in it. I also believe 1 tenant had been staying with her boyfriend somewhere else and not showering many nights for at least 3 months of this.

    This seems kind of high as there’s a coin op laundry which averages only about 4 loads a week and no dishwashers.

    0Reply
  • Kevin C.
    Real Estate Broker · Anchorage, AK · Member since 2012 · 89 posts · 77 votes
    4y

    He's supposed to send a plumber out instead of leaving a note. 

    0Reply
  • Joseph Hammel
    Rental Property Investor · Lake Hallie, WI · Member since 2015 · 292 posts · 144 votes
    4y

    Its the toilet. Put food coloring in the tank and wait. 

    0Reply
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