All Forum Posts by: Moon Molson

The city may have been guessing at the water usage for a while and then decided to send someone out to manually read the meter.

They under guess you get a big bill, they over guess your next bill is small.

Some places do this to save labor costs (lower your water bill).

Maybe a call to the water service with the above question will solve the problem.

In which case it may or may not be on the renters, depending on the date of the reading before this one.

Good Luck!

@Moon Molson I put a clause in my lease agreements that say tenants are liable for cost of water use higher than a 3 month average for a given time of year. At a minimum, this makes them think twice about excessive water use since many ask about the basis of this clause.

Look up your cost per gallon. I swear it’s around $1.10 for 1,000 gallons in Vegas. You’re saying they used an extra $350 worth in one week? Like 300,000 gallons? I think a garden hose does about 12gpm. So that’s 25,000 hours of one hose, 3 years. Let’s pretend you’re paying 10x the Las Vegas price. So it’s 2,500 hours. That 100 days. So imagine you’re paying 10x our price, and they had 10 hoses running 24 hours a day. That’s 10 days. 

Let us know your cost per 1,000 gallons, and how many gallons they say you used in that 5-7 days. 

Ps. You could ask the tenants if they did anything unusual those 5-7 days, but I can’t see what it could be. 

Ops. Half of Las Vegas (north Las Vegas) does liens for water sewer and even the private recycling - trash because they handle the billing. As far as I know western 1/2 the valley (las Vegas) only does liens for trash. 

There HAS to be a leak. When I re-filled our 17,000 gallon pool the water bill was $27. In Las Vegas, in the DESERT!

Have the tenants been there more than a month? I can’t see why they would suddenly use 4x the water. I don’t think even a car wash business where they filled a big tank every day would cost that much? 

Did they replace the meter recently where they could have transposed numbers? Did you check the last reading on the bill with the current reading? Are you on track to have another huge invoice? Is there a chance it was longer than usual between meter readings? Do you have automatic landscape watering that could be leaking only when it’s on? How about a toilet slowly leaking in to the bowl and then refilling? (Test with food coloring)

There HAS to be a leak. When I re-filled our 17,000 gallon pool the water bill was $27. In Las Vegas, in the DESERT!

Have the tenants been there more than a month? I can’t see why they would suddenly use 4x the water. I don’t think even a car wash business where they filled a big tank every day would cost that much? 

Did they replace the meter recently where they could have transposed numbers? Did you check the last reading on the bill with the current reading? Are you on track to have another huge invoice? Is there a chance it was longer than usual between meter readings? Do you have automatic landscape watering that could be leaking only when it’s on? How about a toilet slowly leaking in to the bowl and then refilling? (Test with food coloring)

I had a similar experience.

Check/ask to see if they had a pool in their backyard. Also, check to see if the hose/faucet outside is still on.

Hey Stephen! I am glad that you are trying to find more insight on the forums here!

What you're looking for is entirely possible to find and not out of reach! No need to rush on buying whats on the market now. 

Determining the area you want to be in will definitely help with your analysis paralysis

Since you want to be close to a specific area in Philly, research the neighborhoods around there and determine if they fit your criteria. If they don't consider expanding your search. 

I think you can find solid duplexes under the 500k range in the Roxborough area that can rent for 1700/m. This puts you closer to your target goal. These properties aren't new construction but built after the 60s and have good bones

I would also consider looking into Delaware county. It's close proximity to where you want to be, and property values are not as high. 

These two areas are currently easier to rent out than many areas near center city

Hope this help! Reach out anytime