Water Submetering - Multi Unit in Chicago

[Anthony Nguyen]

Any investors/landlords/property managers familiar with water submetering for individual apartment units? We have a tenant that is prone to letting water run. They tend to have selective hearing regarding notifications to fully turn off faucets & bathtubs. My thought is that submetering will give data on usage. Take an average of the monthly usage for each tenant. Any overages from the average should be paid by the tenant. Just for context, previous water bills averaged around $300ish. Our most recent water bill was $2,500+. City's water dept came to check the building's water meter and it is functional with no faults. Just curious on how you would approach. 

[John Clark]

Quote from @Jonathan Klemm:

I looked up the code quick and seems like Chicago is silent on sub-metering, but Illinonis does allow it:  

The Chicago Building Code does not explicitly address water submetering. However, submetering is generally permitted in Illinois, including Chicago, provided certain conditions are met. Notably, the use of Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS) is allowed, and lease agreements must clearly disclose the billing methods and charges to tenants.

I have heard of several larger buildings using the RUBS model.

Is RUBS administered by the city of Chicago, or is that just an internal allocation by apartment buildings/condos that doesn’t affect city operation?