Never get blindsided by a utility bill again.
Built for apartment and student housing communities in Virginia and DC: your own bills checked every month (common areas, vacant units, the central plant and master meters), and what residents are billed checked against them, so nothing leaks between the two. Every change explained, in dollars, before anyone has to ask.
Book a 30-minute call about one communityWhere the money leaks at an apartment community
- The owner's shareCommon areas, vacant units, leasing office, pools and the central plant stay on the owner's bills, even when utilities are billed back.
- Resident billing that under-recoversA billing split that collects less from residents than the master bills cost, month after month.
- Equipment running when it shouldn'tA booster pump running all night, a boiler short-cycling, a leaking fill valve. It shows on the bill before anyone sees it.
- Sewer on water that never reaches the sewerPool, irrigation and cooling water billed for sewer. How it happens.
- TurnoverMove-out and lease-up months, when power stays on in empty units and nobody is watching the bills.
- Estimated reads and contract roll-offsMonths of estimates building to a catch-up bill; a supply contract quietly rolling onto a variable price.
What you get, every month
Every owner-paid bill checked against the published rate and your supply contract within two business days of it issuing, so your team can approve it without checking it themselves.
Resident billing reconciled: what residents are charged is checked against the master bills each month. Under-recovery costs you money; over-billing costs you complaints.
A same-day alert when something needs action: a misread meter, an estimated read, a late fee, or power left on in an empty unit.
A one-page note per community: the change against last year split into weather, price, occupancy, billing days and real use, so the paragraph for your owner report is already written.
Turnover watch: move-out and lease-up months checked closely, when vacant units, irrigation and pools push costs up.
Budget and forecast: year to date against budget every month, with a full-year forecast, so the year-end number is never a surprise.
A live dashboard and a year-end summary: three years side by side, every bill with its arithmetic, and a one-page summary for owners or lenders.
Recovery at 20% instead of 33% on any refund, including the original free check, and a reminder 90 days before any supply contract ends.
Priced per community, quoted after your free check
The monthly fee depends on the community's size and utility spend. Once we've seen your bills, you get a fixed quote per community, per month. The program is optional: if you'd rather stop after the free check, our only charge is 33% of any refund actually received.
10% off from the fifth building. No setup fee. Pay monthly (cancel on 30 days' notice), quarterly, or a year in advance and get two months free; quarterly and yearly run to the end of the period paid for.
Pay a year in advance and get two months free. Twelve months of service for the price of ten. Or pay monthly and cancel on 30 days' notice.
And a value guarantee: if, in any 12 months, the refunds plus the charges avoided because of our notes come to less than your fees, the next three months are free.
How to start
- Free check of one community. Send 24 months of bills, or sign a one-page letter so we can request them. Written findings in 7 days, each with its arithmetic.
- Your first monthly note. See exactly what you would get each month, for your own community, before you decide anything.
- Choose how to pay. Monthly with 30 days' notice to cancel, or a year in advance with two months free. Add your other communities when you're ready.
Questions owners ask
We bill utilities back to residents. Do we still need this?
Usually, yes. The owner still pays for common areas, vacant units and central equipment, and a resident billing split can recover less than the master bills cost. We check both sides each month.
Do you replace our utility billing company?
No. Your billing company keeps paying the bills and billing residents. We check the master bills each month and check what residents are billed against them.
What do you need to start?
Twenty-four months of bills for one community, or a signed one-page letter of authorization so we can request them. We never need your portal password. Findings in 7 days, free.
Find out what your community's bills are hiding
Half an hour is enough to see whether a free check is worth doing. You see your first monthly note before deciding anything.
Or email zak@commonwealthutilityaudit.com.