Water bill impacts overall cost of student housing
When it comes to off-campus housing for SUNY Oswego students, one of the main differences between some leases is whether or not the water and sewer bill is included within the monthly rent.
The bill, which comes directly from the city of Oswego, is charged at a quarterly rate. According to the 2019 payment document from the city, houses with a water meter on the west side are charged in March, June, September and December. While there are select student rental properties on the east side of the river, most lie on the west side.
Residential homes in Oswego can opt in for a “flat rate” of $225 each quarter, where there is a direct pipeline from the street to the home.
Residential homeowners also have the option to install a water meter, but most residents “take advantage” of the way the system is run, said Robert Corradino, who is the councilman for the seventh ward in the city of Oswego as well as the council president.
He mentioned that if every property had water meters, “a lot of people would probably be [using water] differently.”
“When you’re not paying for water over what you’re allotted, and there’s no meter, people kind of abuse it,” Corradino said.
Currently, the minimum bill for a metered house is $205 each quarter. Corradino said the minimum charge is based on how many gallons of water are used per day. The process was established years ago, Corradino said, and is a set by the average usage for a family of four.
Rental properties cannot have water bills in one of the tenant’s names, instead all of those bills must be put in the property owner’s name. It is up to the owner to decide how the renters will pay the water bill.
Corradino added that he has seen metered bills climb up to $250, and in rare cases, “if you like to shower a lot, wash your cars or have a leaky faucet,” it could reach the likes of $500 or $600.
“If you go over that certain [amount] of water that you’re allotted, then you’re charged by the cubic foot of water,” Corradino said. “No matter if you’re frugal or not, as long as you stay under that certain amount, it’s $205.”
Different rental companies have different policies. Furlong Properties, which owns Premier Living Suites, handles the payment of the water bill in all of its student-rental properties. Avery Rentals, owned by Atom Avery, keeps the bill separate from the monthly rent. Oswego College Housing, which is run by Lee Walker, has properties that go both ways.
Landlords who do not charge the water and sewer bill in the rent have a few different ways of charging their student tenants. They can choose to individually charge each student within the single-family home or they can give the bill straight-up to the students.
Jamie LaRochelle, property manager for Furlong Properties, said the monthly rent is based on different expenses on each property, which includes the water and sewer bill. When it comes to determining the rent, Furlong Properties uses an “approximation” for the expense that the water and sewer bill will create.
“The rental amount will never change outside of the contract price agreed upon,” LaRochelle said. “Usually if a water/sewer bill is higher than normal we will go into the property and make sure there is not a running toilet or slow leaking shower.”
A majority of Avery Rentals’ properties are not all-inclusive, meaning the water and sewer bill is kept separate from the monthly rent. While Avery has some buildings that are all-inclusive, all of the student rentals have separate monthly rent and water bills. He also said he does not upcharge or include it in the monthly rent to avoid undercharging or overcharging students.
“It’s a lot of extra work on my office instead of just building it in [to the rent],” Avery said. “But it makes it cheaper for the tenants.”
With a diverse collection of rental properties, Avery said he charges apartments the exact number that he is charged, and it is split between the number of people in the home. For multi-family properties, such as duplexes, Avery has one “master” water meter, takes the entire bill and splits it between the renting parties who then further divide it among themselves.
Avery added that people who rent in large multiplexes can expect a monthly charge of $30 to $40 compared to someone who lives in a single-family home who could expect $55 or $60 a month, due to less people.
“Let’s say we have a duplex. I have two people on each side,” Avery said. “If I only have one meter and I divide that cost by four, now everybody’s paying $51, not $105 per side.”
Walker, who also owns a diverse group of properties, goes both ways when it comes to charging the water and sewer bill. An exact monthly rent for two different properties was obtained from this rental company.
One of Walker’s two-person properties, the monthly rent sits at $800, equaling $400 per person, with the water and sewer bill included. On the flip side, one of Walker’s five-person properties, which sits at $1,750 and is $350 a month per resident, does not include water. Assuming the five residents do not go above that $205 minimum, each resident must pay $41, meaning the total cost could be a minimum of $391.
Walker, after two phone calls, could not be reached for comment on his choice to differentiate properties.
When it comes to which option better benefits students looking to rent off-campus housing, it depends on how the landlord charges water alongside the monthly rent. In terms of Walker’s housing, based on the previous examples, despite there being a different number of residents in the home, students saved money with water not included in the rent. Part of the savings could be because there are more residents.
Both Avery and LaRochelle said that their respective companies do not upcharge residents for the water and sewer bill, with LaRochelle adding that Furlong Properties immediately turns around and pays the bill sent to their office.
Corradino said he is not sure where students might benefit more, and it depends on how the landlord treats the water and sewer bill.
“In a perfect world, the landlord gives the water bill to the students and says, ‘Here’s the water bill. You need to go down to city hall and pay this before the 27th of the month,’” Corradino said. “It’s a tough thing to narrow down.”
Photo provided by Ian Cummins
