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Like all properties, manufactured housing communities have monthly utility expenses, some of which can be re-billed to residents if properly documented in the residents’ rental agreements.
Six Common Manufactured Housing Utility Charges
Water - Manufactured housing communities and mobile home parks are typically served by the local water provider through a master meter and often install submeters to bill residents.
Sewer - Sewer service is often charged through a master meter bill and can be re-billed to residents.
Garbage/Trash Pickup - The local trash hauler provides curbside or dumpster service, which may be re-billed to residents.
Stormwater/Drainage - The expenses from the local stormwater utility (if any) may be re-billed to residents.
Electricity - If electricity service is delivered through a master meter, it can be submetered and re-billed to residents.
Gas - If natural gas or propane is delivered through a master meter, it can be submetered and re-billed to residents.
Two Ways that Manufactured Housing Residents Can be Billed for Utilities
1. Residents are Billed Directly by the Provider(s)
Residents set up individual accounts in their names with the utility provider(s) and are responsible for monthly utility payments.
2. Residents Receive a Bill from the Community Operations
The manufactured housing owner/manager receives a master meter bill from the provider and re-bills residents. Resident charges can be submetered or allocated.
Four Secrets to Successful Utility Billing
Billing residents correctly can be difficult and time-consuming, and getting it wrong can mean losing revenue or subjecting you to disputes with residents. Here are four ways to get the best performance out of your utility billing system and to maximize utility recoveries:
1. Invoice Residents for Rent and Utilities on the Same Bill
Provide your residents with fully integrated bills, including rent, fixed recurring charges, and required utility charge details.
2. Provide a Variety of Bill Delivery and Payment Options
Deliver your fully integrated bills electronically, by mail, or in person. Ensure that you get paid on time by offering your residents a wide variety of payment methods, including check, credit card, and ManageAmerica’s integrated Electronic Payment Solutions.
3. Use an Automatic Meter Reading System or a Mobile App
Enjoy labor savings and minimize errors by using either a fully-automatic meter reading system or ManageAmerica’s Mobile Meter Reading App to upload manual utility meter reads directly from the field.
4. Use a Leading Utility Billing Service
Outsourcing utility billing to experts saves your employees time, maximizes revenue, reduces errors, and helps get you paid on time. ManageAmerica’s property management system and billing services are built specifically for manufactured home communities.
ManageAmerica helps manufactured housing community owners maximize their utility revenue with monthly utility rate recertifications. Our utility experts monitor and implement all rate changes so that you never miss an increase. Utility rates are always kept up-to-date so that you avoid over- or under- billing your residents.
In addition, ManageAmerica’s utility variance analyzer automatically tracks your submeter systems’ performance, helps to identify water leaks, and calculates the ratio of monthly submetered utility revenue to monthly master meter bill expense.
Contact us today to learn how ManageAmerica can make your utility billing simple.