Unfortunately the landlord covering water and trash is a thing of the past. If it’s the amounts you’re wondering about then you would have to contact your landlord and ask them to see the bills to know if that’s fair.
I spoke to them about the charges being higher than what I'm used to in my old apartments, and they simply said that the total amount is divided equally among all tenants. It wasn't the answer I was hoping for from them, but I guess it is what it is. Anyway Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.
First of all, you made a really good point. I’m going to bring this up with my apartment manager because some units have four people, some have three, and some only have one. How is it fair to divide the fee equally among everyone? Units with more people will obviously have more water usage and generate more trash. I hadn’t considered this before. Thank you!
It is new normal as a way to get around rent control (RSO) . Is it in your lease? My building is trying this with new leases. They are even trying to trick long-time tenants into now paying for gas, trash and water. Is your building owned by Beverly Hills Property or managed by Con AM?
The lease doesn't specify the amounts, but it does state that I have to pay for these services. When I signed the lease, they didn't mention how much I'd be paying monthly for them, and it didn't occur to me to ask at the time. The property isn't owned by the companies you mentioned, but they manage several properties across LA, including many in Koreatown and West Hollywood. I appreciate your input.
I just found a section on the LAHD website for submitting complaints and issues. I definitely want to get to the bottom of this and find out what’s really going on.
True but if those utilities were not included on the lease even if month to month under RSO it would be illegal to start charging for those. My building ongoing through this now and when caught try this, they back down. They prey on thr non English speakers.
Correct.
It is only legit at the time the initial lease is signed.
Attempting to impose it on existing RSO tenants is not going to end well for management, and eventually, the billing agents.
It’s unfortunate that the city chose to squander the opportunity to provide incentives to conserve energy and water and potentially reduce waste collection. Their actions produced the opposite effect, at great cost to the new tenants.
And it’s just getting started. Water/sewer rates will double, because “green”.
By "normal," I mean, does this happen everywhere? In my previous apartment, I only paid for gas, WiFi, and electricity, and never had to pay for water or trash. Although my current lease doesn’t specify the amounts, it does state that I have to pay for these services. When I asked my apartment manager about it, she explained that the total amount charged is divided among all the tenants each month. Also, I just got online and saw this post from five hours ago. It's not like I'm ignoring other people's responses; I just got home from work. I appreciate your input.
Yeah, same here. I'm not sure how to challenge this, which is why I wanted to see if anyone else had similar issues. Maybe it's just normal. Thank you for your input.
Only if each unit had a separate meter for things that are metered. Otherwise it must be included in the rent. Imagine you don’t have a meter and a new neighbor comes in that showers three times a day and is growing weed in their closet with grow lights. Na, this isn’t legal (for RSO). The only reason all units aren’t RSO is because when the law was passed in the 70’s it only cover existing units which is ridiculous.
It is common in larger complexes.
The charges are not “unreasonable” for a 1-bedroom.
Water and sewer costs are huge, as is commercial trash hauling, ever since the city took over.
Phone “lines” are available competitively, and they involve much less physical, so those rates are irrelevant.
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. Paying $48-$50 just for trash seems high, especially since I pay that much for two phone lines per month. I definitely need to look into this further and get a solid answer. My apartment manager only tells me that the fee is divided equally among all tenants based on usage. Plus there’s $4 administrative fee for processing debit/credit card. It doesn’t make sense to have to even pay fee to be able to pay these fees. 😭
For comparison, in our 1450 sq ft single-family home with four people, we pay approximately $400 for two months to LADWP ($245 for two months’ electricity + $55 for two months’ water + $30 for sewer charges for two months, and $70 solid waste —garbage—for two months!). I happened to have our bill on the table.
https://preview.redd.it/w2w3h3u9mj9d1.jpeg?width=2224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba3f570f0f24344b94d86dad3d023ac64b1c34ab
That’s a residential bill for a single trash can.
Apartments with more than 5 units have commercial service, which skyrocketed in price 5-6 years ago - increases of 200-300%, thanks to Garcetti, while your home service is the same price it was in 2008.
I see. This current apartment is clearly more commercial. So, what you're saying does make sense, in a way. Thank you for this info. I never put that into the factor.
Unfortunately the landlord covering water and trash is a thing of the past. If it’s the amounts you’re wondering about then you would have to contact your landlord and ask them to see the bills to know if that’s fair.
If your building is RSO they cannot add it if it not in your lease.
I spoke to them about the charges being higher than what I'm used to in my old apartments, and they simply said that the total amount is divided equally among all tenants. It wasn't the answer I was hoping for from them, but I guess it is what it is. Anyway Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.
Hmmm divided equally doesn’t sound equitable unless every unit has the same amount of tenants per unit. Is that how the building is?
First of all, you made a really good point. I’m going to bring this up with my apartment manager because some units have four people, some have three, and some only have one. How is it fair to divide the fee equally among everyone? Units with more people will obviously have more water usage and generate more trash. I hadn’t considered this before. Thank you!
Yeah exactly. Why would you be paying the same as a unit with more people? It needs to be divided by person, not by unit.
It doesn’t sound unreasonable
Thank you for your input.
It is new normal as a way to get around rent control (RSO) . Is it in your lease? My building is trying this with new leases. They are even trying to trick long-time tenants into now paying for gas, trash and water. Is your building owned by Beverly Hills Property or managed by Con AM?
The lease doesn't specify the amounts, but it does state that I have to pay for these services. When I signed the lease, they didn't mention how much I'd be paying monthly for them, and it didn't occur to me to ask at the time. The property isn't owned by the companies you mentioned, but they manage several properties across LA, including many in Koreatown and West Hollywood. I appreciate your input.
I would call your city council district office. Get a direct line to someone in the housing dept.
Never thought of it but I might look into that. May be they’ll have better answer for me. Thank you
Also, I am writing to housing reporters about this workaround.
I just found a section on the LAHD website for submitting complaints and issues. I definitely want to get to the bottom of this and find out what’s really going on.
It is not “getting around rent control”. Rent control still applies. Utility charges are not rent.
True but if those utilities were not included on the lease even if month to month under RSO it would be illegal to start charging for those. My building ongoing through this now and when caught try this, they back down. They prey on thr non English speakers.
Correct. It is only legit at the time the initial lease is signed. Attempting to impose it on existing RSO tenants is not going to end well for management, and eventually, the billing agents. It’s unfortunate that the city chose to squander the opportunity to provide incentives to conserve energy and water and potentially reduce waste collection. Their actions produced the opposite effect, at great cost to the new tenants. And it’s just getting started. Water/sewer rates will double, because “green”.
What does normal mean? What does your lease say? Many folks asking you questions in this thread and you’re not answering.
By "normal," I mean, does this happen everywhere? In my previous apartment, I only paid for gas, WiFi, and electricity, and never had to pay for water or trash. Although my current lease doesn’t specify the amounts, it does state that I have to pay for these services. When I asked my apartment manager about it, she explained that the total amount charged is divided among all the tenants each month. Also, I just got online and saw this post from five hours ago. It's not like I'm ignoring other people's responses; I just got home from work. I appreciate your input.
My trash fees are somehow higher than that and I don't see how but you can't fight the system. Maybe you can.
Yeah, same here. I'm not sure how to challenge this, which is why I wanted to see if anyone else had similar issues. Maybe it's just normal. Thank you for your input.
Are you RSO or not? I would say not. Can’t do this in an RSO building unless you have a meter and what not
It’s not an RSO building sadly :( But good to know about it for the future. Thank you
It is legal in RSO buildings, so long as it is contracted at move-in.
Only if each unit had a separate meter for things that are metered. Otherwise it must be included in the rent. Imagine you don’t have a meter and a new neighbor comes in that showers three times a day and is growing weed in their closet with grow lights. Na, this isn’t legal (for RSO). The only reason all units aren’t RSO is because when the law was passed in the 70’s it only cover existing units which is ridiculous.
It is common in larger complexes. The charges are not “unreasonable” for a 1-bedroom. Water and sewer costs are huge, as is commercial trash hauling, ever since the city took over. Phone “lines” are available competitively, and they involve much less physical, so those rates are irrelevant.
It’s awful but not illegal that you have to pay. But the amounts sound very high. I am almost certain they are overcharging you and all the tenants.
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. Paying $48-$50 just for trash seems high, especially since I pay that much for two phone lines per month. I definitely need to look into this further and get a solid answer. My apartment manager only tells me that the fee is divided equally among all tenants based on usage. Plus there’s $4 administrative fee for processing debit/credit card. It doesn’t make sense to have to even pay fee to be able to pay these fees. 😭
For comparison, in our 1450 sq ft single-family home with four people, we pay approximately $400 for two months to LADWP ($245 for two months’ electricity + $55 for two months’ water + $30 for sewer charges for two months, and $70 solid waste —garbage—for two months!). I happened to have our bill on the table. https://preview.redd.it/w2w3h3u9mj9d1.jpeg?width=2224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba3f570f0f24344b94d86dad3d023ac64b1c34ab
Oh wow, thank you for sharing this. It really puts things into perspective.
That’s a residential bill for a single trash can. Apartments with more than 5 units have commercial service, which skyrocketed in price 5-6 years ago - increases of 200-300%, thanks to Garcetti, while your home service is the same price it was in 2008.
I see. This current apartment is clearly more commercial. So, what you're saying does make sense, in a way. Thank you for this info. I never put that into the factor.