Every month, we find ourselves faced with the same predicament - an opaque water/sewer bill from Conservice, a third-party company, imposed upon residents of Schooner Bay Community and neighboring Equity Residential properties. These costs are not only exorbitant at a whopping $250+ for many two bedrooms, but also lack any clear explanation. While a simple formula for calculating each unit's bill is detailed in the lease, and contract language claims Equity is not charging us more than our share, and paying 10 percent of the total community bill, there is zero oversight for compliance and the company staunchly refuses to share Foster City Water Board bills, or any form of documentation from the utility, with residents despite numerous requests over the course of a year. Water/sewer charges have been excessive in the last three billing cycles, Sept - Nov, with no clear explanation why (Conservice simply states the property used more water).

While Equity distributed a small credit to each tenant for August, citing excessive water consumption due to "irrigation correction," the company has not provided any explanation on the reason for the continuation of higher bills (water rate increase is miniscule and does not explain the increase). The acceptance of responsibility for the excessive charge also conflicts directly with prior asssertions that they do not charge residents for irrigation usage.

Even more unusual is the fact that tenants are forced to pay water/sewer directly to Equity along with rent, and are charged a fee each month to cover the cost of the third party biller, Conservice, a cost Equity should incur. On the Better Business Bureau website, Conservice has more than 2 dozen pages of complaints against it. While merely a billing service, Equity continues to refer inquiries over to Conservice, instead of giving residents what they ask for - true transparency, clarity, and accountability in the form of verifiable usage numbers. In response to  many tenant requests to see water board bills, Equity staff has refused to produce documentation, citing "privacy."  Ironically, Equity's right to privacy has taken precedence over tenants' rights to accessibility.

Billing transparency is not just a courtesy; it is a right. We, as contracted tenants, are entitled to clear and detailed information about where our utility money is going. We deserve access to evidence that the formula for unit charges presented in our leases is being applied correctly with verifiable charges from the utility, documentation that Equity Residential is paying the correct portion of that bill as stated in the lease, and a mitigation plan that prevents a repeat of the overcharging in Aug. We have seen and reported excessive water waste on site in the form of broken sprinklers, leaks, and massive water consumption for irrigation and request Equity to pose a solution to prevent overuse (and excessive charges) in the future.

In an age when the average U.S residential water/sewer bill is on the rise, unjust costs and lack of transparency must not be allowed to continue. In the face of this, we are demanding three things. First, that Equity Residential provide clear, detailed bills verifiable with the utility (Foster City Water Board) for residential water/sewer services that accurately reflect each unit's usage and applicable fees, and documentation to ensure the portion paid by Equity is fair.

Second, halt charging us with mercurial additional fees. We should not have to pay a third-party to be able to pay our bill--this is an administrative cost that Equity should absorb.

Third, provide traceable information on the property's collective usage with accountability and financial responsibility for excessive use by the property for watering, pond upkeep, pool maintenance, i.e., landscaping usage should be paid for by the company, not passed on to residents.

In service of these ends and in light of the fact that EQUITY has refused to share FC Water Board billing documentaiton, we are demanding that Schooner Bay institute an alternative, individually monitored water/sewer billing system built around fairness and personal responsibility/conservation. Equity needs to step up and invest in the installment and operation of individual meters in service of transparency and accurate billing. 

Join us as we fight for tenants' rights to equitable and transparent water/sewer billing. Sign our petition. Let's show Equity Residential that we will not remain quiet in the face of billing exploitation.