Fitchburg, Massachusetts offers some of the most affordable multifamily in the state, but affordable to buy is not the same as cheap to operate. The mill-era triple-deckers and small apartment buildings making up the city’s rental stock are almost all served by a single water meter, and Massachusetts water and sewer rates rank among the highest in the country. Every gallon a tenant runs belongs to the owner. Water submetering puts a meter on each unit so tenants can be billed for their own use. Fitchburg State fills part of that stock with students, alongside working households, and both groups change addresses often without ever seeing a water bill. True Submeter handles the metering and the automatic monthly invoicing. Usage drops once it costs something, the shared-bill arguments stop, and net operating income improves. Massachusetts sets specific conditions on billing tenants for water, so confirm what applies to your building before you begin.
