mass metering (apartment, lease, home)

[knorrsy]

I rented an apt here in Colorado springs and found out when signing the lease that it was mass metered by apt size also found out after m moving in that we have no central ac just heat the others aptd in the bldg have ac so i am paying for then to ruin their ac etc is this legal what are my options ??

[lurtsman]

Most things are legal. Even if it wasn't, they wouldn't be successful if the law had teeth.

Did you think to ask before moving in if the place had AC? That is something I would ask. Mass metering is pretty common here, and it actually works well. Do people waste more? Yes, absolutely. However, it is still a good deal.

Normally you pay for the amount you use plus a meter fee. The fee for metering "service" is large enough that even if you use less than average and have people wasting, your share of the large bill will usually be less than you would have paid individually.

Is it water that is mass metered, or water and electric? If electric is mass metered, you can go buy an indoor AC unit with tubes that go to your window. They run 300 to 600 last I knew.

Does your apartment face south / west?

If your apartment does not face south or west, you don't really need AC. Open the windows and you're fine in Colorado unless you are taking direct sunlight. My wife and I had an apartment during last summer (a very hot one) where the A/C broke. Somewhere along the lines there was a break, and it would have been very expensive for them to fix it (and probably loud). We had thought summer would end earlier so we just told them not to bother. Being on the Southwest corner we regretted that decision at times, but it was bearable. If you have a job so you are not at home during the hottest parts of the day you really won't feel it. I was a master's student, so I was usually at home studying.