News: RUBS

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Landlords losing the ability to use Ratio Utility Billing Systems on San Jose’s rent-controlled housing have just a few weeks left to apply for a one-time offset. The petition period for the offset opened on July 5 and closes on Oct. 31. Any petition received after Oct. 31 will not be considered. If landlords currently using RUBS are granted an offset, they’ll be permitted to add a portion of their RUBS charge to the tenant’s monthly base rent.

Tagged: Tri-County

Landlords losing the ability to use Ratio Utility Billing Systems on San Jose’s rent-controlled housing will want to read a newly published paper from the California Apartment Association. The Industry Insight paper, just for CAA members, reviews the petition process underway to offset losses from the banning of RUBS in the city’s rent-controlled units. If landlords currently using RUBS are granted an offset, they’ll be permitted to add a portion of their RUBS charge to the tenant’s monthly base rent. The paper covers everything from eligibility for the pass-through to notifying tenants of plans to file the petition to offset… Read More

Tagged: Tri-County

San Jose has opened a petition period for landlords hoping to offset losses after discontinuing the use of Ratio Utility Billing Systems. The petition period opened today, July 5, and runs until Oct. 31. Any petition received after Oct. 31 will not be considered. If granted an offset, landlords with existing tenants who are paying a RUBS charge can petition for a portion of that charge to be added to the tenant’s monthly base rent. This spring, the City Council voted to ban the use of RUBS in the city’s rent controlled housing, defined as buildings constructed before 1979 with… Read More

Tagged: Tri-County

The San Jose City Council on Tuesday approved guidelines for property owners to phase out the use of ratio-utility billing systems, also known as RUBS, to charge tenants for utilities. The council greenlighted the phase-out process one month after voting to ban the use of RUBS in the city’s rent controlled housing, defined as buildings constructed before 1979 with three units or more. Some property owners use RUBS to divide utility bills among tenants based on the number of renters in the building or square footage.

Tagged: Tri-County

After hours of public testimony and debate, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted to eliminate RUBS in rent-controlled housing. RUBS is short for ratio-utility-billing systems, which some property owners use to divide utility bills among tenants based on the number of renters in the building or square footage. At Tuesday’s meeting, the council also approved changes to the city’s “just cause” eviction ordinance and an ordinance related to the Ellis Act. The council is expected to formally approve the changes with a another reading of the ordinances May 8.

Tagged: Tri-County

Sen. Lois Wolk’s water submetering bill sank this year, but it’ll likely resurface in 2014. With some success at the negotiating table, it has a good chance of passing, too. SB 750  got close this year. But by the end of the legislative session, loose ends and disagreements about the bill’s wording had it taking on water. When Wolk introduced the bill in early February, she said it would help Californians “make environmentally and economically responsible choices and that they needed accurate information about their water usage and cost so that they can use existing supplies as efficiently as possible.”… Read More

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Senate Bill 750 — sponsored by tenant and environmental lobbies to mandate sub-meters in new construction and establish consumer protections in affected properties — remains pending in an Assembly committee. As originally drafted, SB 750 by Sen. Lois Wolk prohibited RUBS, banned administrative fees for water sub-meters and required that, as of Jan. 1, 2014, all new multifamily construction units would be sub-metered. The California Apartment Association and the Utility Conservation Coalition, an alliance of utility billing companies, have been diligently working to address the negative aspects of the bill and to create a “win-win” situation for owners, residents, and… Read More

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The California State Legislature is finishing up its summer recess and will return in August to wrap up the first year of the 2013-14 Legislative sessions. To date, 2013 has been one of the most challenging Legislative sessions for the apartment industry in a decade. The California Apartment Association has actively lobbied on 75 bills to make certain that the industry is protected from over-reaching legislative proposals. Three measures in particular would have had far-reaching economic impacts on the industry but were successfully stopped or amended by CAA. Senate Bill 750 – Water sub-metering and RUBS The issue of ratio-utility… Read More

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A bill that would require water submeters in all new construction now has amendments allowing landlords and third-party billing companies to collect administrative fees. Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, revised her bill, SB 750, to permit collection of up to $4 in fees to help recover the actual costs of reading submeters and providing billing services for tenants. A lower administrative fee would apply, however, when the water bill is less than $10, according to the amended bill. Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, an administrative fee may be adjusted annually by the landlord commensurate with an increase in the Consumer Price Index.… Read More

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A bill that would require installation of water submeters on all new multifamily units no longer would ban ratio-utility billing systems — also known as RUBS. SB 750 by Senator Lois Wolk, D-Davis, advanced from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and heads to the Senate floor without the troubling provision. RUBS are used by property owners to divide the water bill among tenants, based on the number of renters in the building or square footage. Three primary areas of concerns remain for CAA: The early date for the installation of submeters, now Jan. 1, 2014. The limited availability of… Read More

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