Title
Study Session: Rent and the Treatment of Utilities in the CSFRA and Ratio Utility Billing Systems
Recommended Action
That the Rental Housing Committee (RHC) provide input on and parameters for regulations, including:
• Clarification that all rental charges, including charges for shared or master-metered utilities including, but not limited to water, sewer or trash, are part of the definition of rent as stipulated in the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), and the cost of such services must be established as part of the initial rental rate and specified in the rental agreement at the commencement of the tenancy.
• A transitional One-Time Utility Adjustment Petition process
o allowing housing providers, currently using RUBS or similarly calculated and billed utility charges, a transition from separately charged utilities to including utility costs in the rental amount with a One-Time Utility Adjustment Petition, to bring non-compliant rental properties into compliance with the CSFRA.
o Explaining the administration of submitting and processing of One-Time Utility Adjustment Petitions.