How to Get Tenants to Conserve Without Complaints

One of the biggest mindset shifts we had as multifamily owners was realizing that tenants don’t waste utilities because they’re careless—they waste them because they aren’t paying for them. And it’s not out of malice or neglect—it’s just human nature. If someone else is footing the bill, conservation isn't top of mind.

Take it from us. Years ago, when we took over one of our early properties, we were covering the water, sewer, and trash. Every month we braced ourselves for rising costs—leaks, overages, unexplained spikes in the bill. We assumed it was just a cost of doing business.

But deep down, we knew it wasn’t sustainable. At the time, I was working for a utility billing company and I saw firsthand what was possible when owners took control. I knew RUBS—Ratio Utility Billing System—could work. My husband, though? He wasn’t convinced. He worried that passing utilities onto tenants would result in complaints, lease breaks, and angry move-outs.

Still, we rolled it out. And what we got wasn’t complaints—it was maintenance requests. Dozens of them. Tenants letting us know about running toilets, leaking faucets, broken flappers. Suddenly, they cared. They had skin in the game. And that’s when we realized this wasn’t just about billing—it was about behavior.

But there was a downside, too. Despite working with a professional billing service, tenants still had questions. A lot of them. The invoices were vague. The customer support was disconnected. And worst of all, the call centers fielding their concerns had no relationship to the tenants—or to us. They didn’t understand our communities. They didn’t understand our priorities.

That disconnect created tension. Tenants didn’t feel heard. We, as owners, were caught in the middle. And the most important relationship we had—the one between landlord and resident—was strained because of poor communication and outsourced answers.

That was the moment we knew we had to build something better. Utility Ranger was born from that pain point. We designed it to do more than just automate billing—we built it to preserve relationships, reduce friction, and promote real accountability.

With Utility Ranger, landlords are in control of the message. We provide clear, tenant-facing responses so owners can confidently answer billing questions without involving an offshore call center. We removed the middleman, and in doing so, we strengthened the most valuable part of the equation: trust.

And then we tackled the invoices. We flipped the industry standard. Most billing companies try to keep invoices simple to minimize support requests—but that strategy backfires. Tenants ask more questions when they’re confused. So we gave them answers right there on the bill.

Utility Ranger invoices are built for transparency:
- They show the full master utility bill.
- They outline exactly how much the landlord is covering vs. what tenants are responsible for.
- They include the number of occupants per unit and the square footage formula used to allocate costs.

The result? Tenants can reverse engineer their bill. They can spot why it changed. They no longer need to ask, 'Why did my bill go up?' or 'How is this calculated?' because it’s all right there. We don’t just prevent complaints—we prevent confusion. And clarity builds trust.

As we began shifting our portfolio from California to Florida, we changed our entire acquisition strategy. Today, we only buy properties that aren’t currently billing for utilities. Why? Because it’s an immediate value-add. From day one, we implement Utility Ranger—not just for RUBS, but for WiFi, pet rent, parking, storage. All the little things that boost NOI, one line item at a time.

And I can tell you firsthand—the experience is different. The tenant communication is smoother. The complaints are fewer. And the NOI gains? They’re faster and easier to achieve than most operators realize.

One of the features our residents love most is the payment experience. Tenants are so 'portaled out' these days—rent portal, maintenance portal, community portal. We removed that friction by making the bill itself the payment vehicle. They receive an email, hit 'Pay Now,' and they’re done. No passwords. No extra steps.

This is what BRRRR 2.0 is all about. Not just increasing rent. Not just renovating. But reducing expenses, simplifying operations, and scaling smarter.

Utility Ranger wasn’t built for institutions. It was built for operators like us—hands-on, growth-minded, under 1,000 units. The ones doing the work, taking the risks, and demanding better tools.

If you're still absorbing utility costs, consider what that’s costing you. Not just in money—but in opportunity. We turned confusion into clarity, friction into trust, and bills into building blocks for growth.

Let’s stop absorbing. Let’s start scaling.

Want to see how it works? Let’s chat.