Water Usage - Removing/Monitoring Washing Machine

[Justin K.]

Friday after submitting my water meter reading I received a call from the water company informing me that the water usage at my 6 unit property was twice the average and that I should expect ~$1000 water bill for the quarter. This is up from $400. Over the weekend I installed a lock on the outdoor hose and informed tenants I would be making visits to check for leaking toilet flappers etc.

After word got around I was contacted by one of the tenants to inform me that the one unit that has in-unit laundry (preexisting when I bought the property last Nov) has been running the washer at least once a day. The unit is occupied by an unemployed single female on section 8 assistance. So she's not cleaning uniforms for multiple jobs or anything that would explain running the laundry that often.

I want to do my homework before contacting the tenant. Is there any way to monitor washer usage besides separate metering? i.e. a single meter in a lock box behind the machine? With no way to prove she is using the appliance for a commercial use I think my only option is to modify the lease to exclude washer/dryer which would take a month or so to take affect before I could remove the machines.

This is a month-to-month lease. Water rates in the area are high and also include sewer based on the amount of water used. So excessive water usage is a double edge sword. Any advise or tips would be appreciated! Thx