Just Got hit with a Nearly $500 Tenant Water Bill!

[Moon Molson]

Philly Landlords,

I am paying the water utility on my East Kensington duplex and just got hit with a $485 water bill (when it averages $112 in the summer)! I sent the plumbers in, and they found a leak in the wall due to missing grout, but no actual pipe leak. In fact, they checked the meters and the water is not running: NO LEAK!

This means that the only explanation is that my tenant(s) are using WAY TOO MUCH WATER!

I was thinking that maybe I should submeter the water so the tenants will have to pay for their own, but unlike other utilities, if the water bill doesn’t get paid in Philly, the city can place a lien on your property, so apparently most landlords prefer to keep the account in their name in case the tenants don’t pay.

Does anyone have any advice? Does anyone on here from Philly submeter?

MM