Cambridge, Massachusetts commands some of the highest rents in the country, which makes it worth asking why so many owners here still absorb their tenants’ water. In the three-family houses and small apartment buildings filling the blocks around Central and Inman Squares, one master meter typically serves every unit, and Massachusetts water and sewer costs are among the steepest in the nation. Water submetering assigns that expense to the people creating it. The tenant base here, Harvard and MIT students, postdocs, and short-stay professionals, turns over constantly and has no view into what the building’s water actually costs. True Submeter puts an individual water meter on each unit and bills every tenant automatically for exactly what they used. Usage settles once it becomes visible, disputes over a shared bill go quiet, and net operating income improves. Billing rules for water in Massachusetts are specific, so verify what applies to your building before installing anything.
