• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Overcharge for Water Bill-Archstone Smith

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

timhlk

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? CA

Hi there, I live in San Jose, CA and Santa clara county. I live in the Archstone-Smith San Jose apartment complex and have a one bedroom 750-60 sq ft. Anyhow, our water bill is not based on actuals and for a one bedroom being at work for over 8 hours a day , my water bill is always around $58-$65. I do not have a fish tank or can't imagine why my bill would be this high. The community has this large duck pond in the middle of and seems to get really filthy where it begins to smell awful and the water is green and they have pumped it out three times since I've lived there which hasn't even been a full year yet. Anyhow, I just read this article at http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071020/news_1m20b2briefs.html where they are saying Archstone was sued down in San Diego for "partly" charging based on estimations.

Anyhow, due to the large volume of people complaining to the front office they posted this thing how ISTA (the water company) bills us. Apparently they bill us as an entire community then archstone does their calculations saying they only pay for 5% of the water bill and the rest is divided based on your square footage of your apartment. Is this legal or are they at fault at all? I mean I pay 65 dollars for a one bedroom apartment for water and I'm never home? This is what it says on the new form they put up on how our water is calculated.

"Water Charges
The water charges billed to the residents are based on the monthly utility bills from the local utility provider. To calculate your monthly water bill, ista takes the total utility bill amounts for the entire community and subtracts 5% for the water used in community common areas (like the leasing offices and fitness center). The remaining amount is then spread over each apartment based on the number of square feet in the apartment. Please note that Archstone absorbs the cost of vacant apartments in addition to the 5% common area deduction. We understand that this can be confusing – the example below shows exactly how it works:
**This is an example only**
We start with a total water bill for the community: $5,000
Then, we subtract 5% for common areas: $5,000 – $250 = $4,750
Total that will be allocated among the apartments: $4,750
This amount is divided by the square footage for the
entire community:
$4,750 / 368,000 square
feet = $.01290

This gives us the cost-per-square foot: $.01290 per square foot
If your apartment has 800 square feet, your monthly
water bill would be $10.32:
$.01290 x 800 square
feet = $10.32

Please note that water prices are based on the current rates charged by the local utility company. The utility provider retains the right to change their rates at any time. It’s important to note that neither Archstone nor ista has any control over their billing rates."


Please advise ....
 



Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top