Water Usage and Issues

[Nishant1]

Hi there,

We recently started hosting and have noticed an uptick in our utility bills as expected. However, the water bill went up a lot more than we expected it to! Not sure if someone left it on for a long time or what... now I'm worried about what else could happen with water (i.e. water damage).

Has anyone had any similar or other issues with water in rentals? Have you tried any devices to monitor water usage remotely? Can you share your experiences, best practices? What works and what doesn't? Nest is great for HVAC - curious to know more about the water side! 🙂

Thanks!

 -Nishant

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Nishant1 It is up to you to price for guests across the entire year - some will be very conscious of water rationing, others not so.... it's difficult to charge guests per water usuage, you can do it but it needs to be ultra clear in your booking conditions. My suggestion would be to average it out across your guests...unless you can meter it for individual guests and get their agreement beforehand to pay for their usuage.

[Jayesh0]

Hi @Nishant1

The best way to check if there is an issue with the water is to turn off all water in the residence and go to your water meter.  Chekc what the reading is and come back in 15 - 20 minnutes.  If it has moved, there is a leak somewhere.  We had a leak in a sprinkler system and this is how we found out.  

We have found most guests to be water wise and reasonably responsible.  You could always make a note in your house rules that guests MUST notify you immediately if anything requires repair and if the problem is exacerbated by thrir lack of informing you that costs for extra damages incurred because of their lack of communication will be bourne by them.  This would just be for your own peace of mind and could potentially help in the event of a claim from your security deposit.

You should really check with your insurance company and make sure that you have coverage for this.  That would likely offer the greatest insight in how to move forward if something happens.  Find out if you are also convered for lost income if you have to relocate upcoming guest because of pending repair work.  It is worth knowing exactly where you stand BEFORE anything unforunate happens.

Lisa

[Jayesh0]

@Nishant1

PS You will also need to factor in the extra volumes of laundry that you will be doing.  This can be a significant contributing factor!!

Lisa