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Apartment owners in rent-controlled areas can get an extra 1% in annual rent increases for electricity and another 1% increase for gas if those utilities are not paid for by tenants. However, they cannot get anything for water. It's unbelievable, but sadly that is the hard reality in Los Angeles. Here we are, in the midst of one of the worst droughts in recent memory, and our state and local governments have not come to grips with the underlying problem. As it stands today, 60% of L.A.'s population does NOT pay for their own water. Therefore, there is absolutely NO incentive to conserve water within this huge demographic segment. The City of Los Angeles is suffering considerably after being required to divert much of its water back into the partially-dried Owens River. So, how do we rectify the problem at the local level? How do we encourage conservation? To truly appreciate the theory of conservation, one must also comprehend the theory of consumption. If something is free, there is no incentive to use less of it.
We can help solve our water shortage problem with one swift move. Let tenants pay for their own water. How simple is that? There would certainly be a lot more shorter showers and fewer toilet flushes if tenants had to pay for their own water.
Since the Department of Water and Power will not submeter buildings, and it is too expensive for landlords under rent control to do it themselves, owners need to be allowed to use the Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS) to charge tenants for the water they use. Representatives from the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) have recently spoken to several members of the L.A. City Council who find the idea intriguing for conservation's sake. Could an idea so rational, fair, and environmentally savvy actually be acceptable to our tenant-minded Housing Department and City Council? I guess we will soon find out. Stay tuned for future updates on this issue.
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