Take Central Washington University out of Ellensburg, Washington and the rental market mostly empties, which shows how completely the student tenant defines it: individually owned houses and small complexes near campus, re-leased every academic year. Water bundled into those leases is money the owner spends and never bills for. A student paying flat rent has no reason to watch the tap in a dry Kittitas Valley summer. Water submetering fixes that, unit by unit. True Submeter puts an individual water meter on each unit and invoices every tenant automatically for exactly what they use, so the full water bill comes back to the owner. Usage falls once it costs something, the fights over a split bill end, and net operating income rises, with the hardware typically paying for itself within six months. In a town this defined by one campus, your water bill should follow the tenant, not sit on your books.
