How do you feel about WST being divided among the tenants? (Denver: apartments, rentals)

[KatInTheHat]

The WST being divided among a group of units in an apt. building is a brand new concept to me. Wherever I've lived, these fees were paid for by the building (and considered part of the rent). Granted, I've never lived in Denver, or CO, for that matter.

I'm seriously considering signing a lease very soon for a place that is positive in every way, except I'm hesitant about the WST extra. From your experiences, do you think you overpaid (esp. if you were conservative in your water use) or do you think it all balances out?

[TechMike]

I lived in a place in Golden where WST was divided among all the units in your building based on how many bedrooms the unit had.

I think it worked out okay. The rate was never very high to begin with. Certainly less than what we're paying for WST in the house we rent, both with two bedrooms and two people.

[bisou]

I just finished a lease where the water was divided up. I really saw a big fluctuation. One month it was 75 and another 45. It all depended on whether all the units were being rented or not. Personally, I found this to be very frustrating because we are very much aware of our water usage. I felt like no matter what we did, it had little to no impact on the overall bill.
My 2 cents,
bisou

[sorryville]

You need to ask the apartments how they figure out what you pay. Where I'm at it's a flat rate every month so it doesnt change from month to month or fluctuate based on occupancy.

[KatInTheHat]

Thanks, Mike, Bisou, and Sorryville, for your replies. I really appreciate your input.

The place I would be moving to would not have a fixed WST rate, so the number of occupied/empty apartments would definitely determine the rate. (I wish it were fixed!) Considering that rentals are going fast in Denver, and most places are filling up, I'm hoping the WST rate won't fluctuate too much for the time I'm there.