Help. Apartment complex charging outrageous water (Orlando: rental, home, water heater)

[DisneyCamper]

Please help me if you can.

I realized my dream 8 months ago moving to Orlando and leased an apartment in Hunter's Creek. My first 3 water bills, (charged by the apartment complex on my monthly rental invoice), were under $10. Then, the bills have averaged $50!! Now, I've been requesting help from the complex office and have been paying $15 each month in good faith. The complex has requested actual readings from the third party, they have completed a water test, and just recently, changed a valve on the water heater. This month's bill arrived: yep. Still outrageously high. I'm at wit's end with worry over what actions the complex may take.

My neighbor across the hall is home daily and cooks daily while the partner works outside. The water bill for the month, including cooking and cleaning, 2 to 4 loads of laundry per week, and showers runs about $11 per month. Another neighbor, single, has an average water bill of $8 per month.

I don't cook and I do 2 batches of clothes each week. My dishes amount to a daily coffee cup, a daily spoon to stir my coffee, perhaps a cereal bowl and spoon, or a butter knife for buttering toast. That's it. I usually hand-wash dishes about every 4 days. Yes, I used to shower but have changed to baths to conserve water.

Please, can anyone help me to figure out why I'm being charged $50 each month when neighbors are charged only about 1/5 of my charges? Does anyone know where I can find a renter's rights? I'm beyond frustrated.

Thanks.

[FloridaNative35]

I'm not sure I'd ever give up showers or washing my dishes to save $40 per month, but I'm impressed that you are.

Have you called the water company directly? Who is it? Have you seen bills from them or only from the apartment complex?

Water bills are also sewer. No idea if that matters in your case, but figured I'd mention it.

I suspect you have a leak somewhere.

[yohynot]

Are you on the ground floor? Maybe someone has figured a way to use water but from your meter connection. If it's a leak that would be easy to determine if you can see the meter.

[DisneyCamper]

I haven't seen water meters anywhere on property. Supposedly, a third party company reads the meters and charge me through the apartment complex each month. Yes, I am on the ground floor but darned if I can figure out how anyone could steal my water. Dishes around here are almost non-existent. LOL Dishes never fill my sink. As for showers, once I realized a bath used half the water, it was a no-brainer when I thought I might have been using too much water. Now that I know it's not my water use causing outrageous bills, I'm probably going back to showers. LOL

Any rights for renter's in Florida?

[totsuka]

I would call the utility company? Is it OUC? Give them a call and tell them you think something is wrong and see what they say.

[RoyalSt]

Are your toilets running? Our monthly water/sewer bill is about $55. One month our spare bathroom toilet was running and we didn't know it. The water bill that month was $200.

[FloridaNative35]

You really need to call OUC or whoever does your water. Call them directly.

[Guyanese]

Well aint that ****ty