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Case Studies – Multi-Family Apartments

How Brewerytown Apartments Slashed Water Costs and Gained Tenant Accountability with SimpleSUB

Overview

Brewerytown Management in Philadelphia was collecting just $175 per building each month for water while paying up to $500. By installing SimpleSUB submeters across six properties, they closed the gap and turned water bills into recoverable revenue.

Jump to: Problem Statement | Solution | Results

Customer Profile

Company: Brewerytown Management
Property Type: Apartment Buildings
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Meter Count: 45 units across 6 properties
Interviewee: Property Manager

The Problem: Tenants Weren’t Reporting Leaks—And It Was Costing Thousands

In Philadelphia, where water rates are among the highest in the country, Brewerytown Management faced a mounting financial problem. They were charging tenants a flat $25 per unit each month, but actual water bills per building—typically 6 to 8 units—ranged from $300 to $500 per month. Each building’s bill was eating into profits—yet no one could explain why.

“Philly has really high water rates—$25 per unit wasn’t covering the $300–$500 per building we were getting billed.”

Leaks often went unreported, and water usage varied unpredictably. Toilets could run for weeks without detection. Without real-time visibility, there was no way to know which unit was responsible—or even that a problem existed.

Brewerytown was left paying for water waste they couldn’t see, caused by tenants they couldn’t hold accountable.

With No Way to Track Usage, the Costs Just Kept Climbing

Before submetering, Brewerytown relied on manual estimates and reactive communication. Water waste often went unnoticed for weeks—sometimes months—leading to hundreds of dollars in unrecoverable costs.

The property manager recognized that the current model was no longer sustainable:

• No way to detect leaks early
  
• No visibility into individual usage
  
• No incentive for tenants to report issues
  
• Owners absorbed the cost of tenant behavior

The Solution: Submetering with SimpleSUB to Drive Accountability and Savings

Brewerytown turned to SimpleSUB to make water usage visible and actionable. Within weeks, submeters were live in 5 of their 6 properties—with no major disruptions.

With plug-and-play meters and automated tenant reports, water costs are now directly tied to tenant behavior. That shift has driven accountability, reduced waste, and streamlined billing.

“We find the amount, add it to the lease ledger, and send the tenant usage reports.”

Tenants pay through Buildium’s online portal—most right after reports go out.

“It takes longer to pull the water utility bills than to do the SimpleSUB part—it’s such an easy, user-friendly platform.”

With clear usage data, Brewerytown can now hold tenants accountable for leaks or unusually high consumption. In one instance:

“We told the tenant they had to pay the bill because they didn’t notify us. You have a responsibility to let us know if something isn’t functioning.”

By moving from guesswork to data, SimpleSUB helped Brewerytown enforce responsibility and recover costs they previously had to absorb.

Results: Immediate Impact and Long-Term Savings

The impact was immediate and measurable:

• 5 properties live with submeters
• Avoided major overages from unreported leaks
• Water billing now reflects actual usage
• Most tenants pay immediately after reports are sent
• Admin time reduced: “It’s so easy, user-friendly platform”
• Only one meter issue reported—resolved quickly with support
• Tenants now request usage visibility, thanks to improved transparency

“Nothing but success—happy with them.”
—Property Manager, Brewerytown Management

Brewerytown continues rolling out submeters across its portfolio to drive further cost recovery, operational efficiency, and tenant accountability.

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