adding water meters

Started by KatieC1 • 10 replies • 797 views

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KatieC1 (Colorado)
Posts: 2

Posted:

Some people in our community are firm about wanting to add water meters, vs community water. Does anyone have any input on this? I am on the BOD and have spoken with maintenance people who have negative things to say about leakage , expense and the like. Do they last? Do they save money? Are they worth the expense of deleting the community water in our HOA bills?

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By KatieC1 on 08/19/2020 4:59 PM
Some people in our community are firm about wanting to add water meters, vs community water. Does anyone have any input on this? I am on the BOD and have spoken with maintenance people who have negative things to say about leakage , expense and the like. Do they last? Do they save money? Are they worth the expense of deleting the community water in our HOA bills?

Is this for a condominium? If so, the first question is whether re-piping can even by physically accomplished. Many condos were formerly apartments. They often are piped so that individual metering of a condo unit is physically not possible unless the condos are razed and re-built from the ground up.

KatieC1 (Colorado)
Posts: 2

Posted:

they are townhome styles but due to the community water, they are called townhome condominiums. They are individual separate units..not up and down. I have heard many things about the water meters ..not good. Interested in any experience that may be out there. Thanksl

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

We did it years ago. Prior to me moving in. The project took years to complete. First you have to talk to the Water company because they charge for the installation of them. Which was about 20K in our case. That expense had to be a special assessment across 107 homeowners. So your first hurdle is figuring out the overall costs and then raise the special assessment for it.

Once you do collect the money, keep in mind there will be A LOT of digging. People are not going to be that happy about their yards being torn up. It should be understood this is what has to happen. However, be aware it's going to be a bit of a mess while the separate meters are added. Can be an invasive project.

We had to turn our roads into PUBLIC roads for the Water company to install. That means we had to install all the signs that go along with having a public street. Stop/yield/street names all had to be added. If you have any personal signs for streets those have to come down. May also have to cut things down to see the signs properly.

If the water does leak, there is a dividing line. If it is water meter to street it is at the water's company's feet. If it is meter to home, it is homeowner's feet. This does save the HOA money in the long run for expensive repairs. The HOA would not be responsible for these repairs.

The HOA has to modify and change their CC&R's if it says the HOA pays for water. They have to reflect that it is the homewoner's responsibility. This has to be filed. This can take a few thousand of dollars to and time to collect/file.

Is it worth it? In the end yes. The dues were able to be lowered because didn't have to budget in repairs and other water ups/downs. It just takes time and effort for that to happen. Plus can not tell you how much it could lower because that would vary for each situation.

Would do it again? Most likely. Is it a long process with lots of hair pulling and details? Yes.

Former HOA President

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

We looked into doing this a few years ago, but we couldn't justify the cost. That could change if the cost of water rose dramatically or if we were having trouble paying our bills and needed to jettison every possible expense. But pushing trash collection out would be an easier first step.

Half of our buildings are stacked condo style, with a single water meter for the entire building. The rest are townhome/side-by-side style, each with their own separate water meters. Needless to say, some of the townhome residents and folks living alone do not like the current set up. However, our governing docs acknowledge that putting utilities into our assessments will provide an unfair advantage for some owners and an unfair disadvantage for others. So buyers in theory know what they're getting into. Those who feel strongly about it are better off moving to a community where it doesn't happen.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Forgot to mention one area that could cause an issue:

Our CC&Rs state that utility lines serving multiple units are common elements and the responsibility of the association even if they run through a wall belonging to a single unit, and those serving a single unit are part of the unit. Depending on how your buildings are constructed, this could make for difficulties and add to the expense of separating out units. Side-by-side units would probably be less of a problem than the stacked condos we have.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

An HOA I was a member of added individual meters. We were side by side townhouses and each had a basement where the water line came in and that is where the meter was installed. They were very small and fit between floor joists. The meters were read remotely. This was in the early 90's so technology may have changed quite a bit.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

This is an old post. If you want updated information on this issue, start a new conversation.

And the posting rules of this website don't allow using names of actual commu items or companies.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

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