Going Down the Drain via multihousingnews.com

It’s a new year but not a new day for water sub-metering. While a few states and municipalities have jumped on the bandwagon of requiring sub-metering for billing of individual units at multifamily properties, the industry does not anticipate a major push for implementation of such laws on either the national or local level in 2012.

Sub-metering is currently a requirement in Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas. If residents are to be billed for water, a multifamily developer must install sub-meters to accurately assess the usage of each individual unit. Certain municipalities are beginning to dive in, too. In 2010, San Diego became a trailblazer for obligatory sub-metering when the city passed an ordinance requiring sub-meters at all new multifamily developments, as well as in existing multifamily properties where interior plumbing is being replaced entirely.

The move to mandate sub-meters, however, has been slow to spread, and the prospects for a pick-up in pace in 2012 are not bright.

Read more...Going Down the Drain via multihousingnews.com