Meters, sub-meters and readings with unusual use flagged
Keep every meter and sub-meter of a building, with readings from staff, from tenants and from move-in and move-out checks. Each reading is checked by staff, and a sudden jump in use is flagged to the property manager.
PLANSFrom Growth
Why it matters
Where a landlord pays the main electricity, water or chiller bill, every unit's share has to come back from the tenant. In most buildings that means a person with a clipboard, a spreadsheet of readings and a monthly argument about the figures. In SmartMy Lease the readings come in from three places. They come from staff on the phone, tenants with a photo of their meter, and the move-in and move-out checks. Each reading is checked before it counts. A jump to more than twice the usual use is flagged as a possible leak. The confirmed use is billed with the next rent at your tariff.
The problem it solves
- Meter readings are written on paper and typed in at month end, with mistakes nobody can trace.
- A tenant disputes a utility charge and there is no photo of the meter.
- A leak runs for weeks and is found only when the water bill arrives.
- The move-out reading is noted on the check but never reaches the bill.
How it works
- Add each meter in Lease > Operations > Maintenance > Utilities > Meters, or on the unit's Meters tab. Enter the number, kind, property, unit, and the main meter for a sub-meter.
- Mark In the Tenant's Name when the tenant pays the utility company; readings are kept but nothing is recharged. Otherwise pick the tariff.
- Readings come in from staff in the SmartMy Lease Staff app. They also come from tenants from their web page or app with a photo, and checks when they are signed.
- Every reading waits To Check. A reading lower than the last is refused, and the use since the last reading works itself out.
- When use is more than twice the average of the last three readings, the reading is marked Unusual Use and the property manager is told.
- Staff look at the reading and its photo, press Confirm, then Bill to add the cost to the tenant's lease (see Utility tariffs).
Everything it does
Meters
- Kinds: Electricity, Water, Gas, Chiller / Cooling, Heating, Other
- Meter Number, property, unit (empty for a common meter), Main Meter for a sub-meter
- Utility Account number; In the Tenant's Name; tariff of the same kind
- Last Reading and Read On kept up to date
- Filter Common Meters for meters with no unit; archive a meter that is taken out
Readings
- Meter, date, value (three decimals), previous value, use, amount, photo, note
- Source: Staff, Tenant, Import, Smart Meter, Handover Check
- To Check, Confirmed, Billed, Cancelled; Cancel works only before Confirm
- A reading lower than the last one is refused, from any source
Readings from checks
- Electricity, water and gas read during a move-in, move-out or inspection check become readings when the check is done
- They go to the unit's one meter of that kind, with source Handover Check and the check's number
- A unit with two meters of one kind, or a reading lower than the last, is left out with a note on the check
Readings from tenants
- Tenants with a running lease see each meter of their unit with its last six readings
- Send reading with a photo (up to 8 MB) from the Meters page or the SmartMy Lease app
- It arrives as source Tenant, To Check, like any other
Unusual use
- Checked on every new reading once the meter has three earlier readings with use
- Flag Unusual Use on the reading; message to the property's manager
Common meters
- A common meter can be linked to a service charge cost pool; its confirmed use is added to the pool's costs (Scale)
Who uses it
Lease userAdds meters, reads them in the Staff app and confirms readings.
Property managerGets the unusual use alerts and follows up.
TenantSends a reading with a photo from the web page or the app.
Where you use it
- Web: Lease > Operations > Maintenance > Utilities > Meters and Readings; the unit's Meters tab
- The SmartMy Lease Staff app: Operations > Maintenance > Utilities > Meters, scan or search a meter (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Tenant web page and the SmartMy Lease app: Meters, when the unit has meters
- Not connected to smart meters: Smart Meter and Import are sources ready for a connection that is not built yet
What you control
Settings
- Per meter: In the Tenant's Name, main meter, tariff
- Unusual use: more than twice the average of the last three uses, fixed
Notifications
- Unusual Use: to the property's manager, by email and in the app
- Each person can switch off a channel, such as email, for themselves; in-app notices always arrive
Questions
Can tenants send their own readings?
Yes. From their web page or the SmartMy Lease app, with a photo. Staff check each one before it is billed.What stops a wrong reading?
A reading lower than the last is refused. Every reading waits To Check with its photo, and a big jump is flagged.Do move-out readings reach the meter?
Yes. Electricity, water and gas read on a signed check become readings of the unit's meter of that kind.Do you connect to smart meters?
Not yet. Readings come from staff, tenants and checks.Which plan has it?
Growth and above.Related features
OPERATIONSUtility tariffs with slabs, recharged to tenantsSet your tariff once, with a fixed part and slabs or one price per unit. A confirmed reading is priced by it and added as a charge to the tenant's lease, billed with the next rent.REPORTS AND AIAI reads the number on a meter photoIn the Staff app, photograph a meter and the AI fills in the number for the reader to confirm. Readings tenants send with a photo are checked by the AI just after they arrive, and a photo that shows another number is flagged.CHECKS, DEPOSITS AND REPAIRSMove-in, move-out and inspection checks with photos and signaturesWalk the unit at move-in, move-out and in between with a check. Check points are cards answered with one tap. The check takes photos, meter readings, the item list, keys and damage. Your staff sign first and the tenant signs last. The tenant gets the PDF; new damage at move-out becomes proposed deposit deductions.OPERATIONSThe SmartMy Lease Staff appProperty managers, leasing agents, inspectors, maintenance, housekeeping and the front desk run the day from a phone. The app opens on Today and its Menu holds the same places as the web's Lease menus.TENANTSTenant pages on the webTenants sign in on any browser to see their lease, what is billed when, the deposit, their bills, requests, notices and cheques. They give notice to vacate and answer a renewal offer there too.COMMERCIALService charge with budgets and year-end reconciliationShare a building's running costs among its tenants with cost pools, a yearly budget and each unit's share by area. Bill on account each month or quarter. Reconcile the year from your accounts, with a cap and a statement per lease.
See your buildings on it.
Tell us how many properties and units you have, whether you let your own or manage for owners, and how rent is paid today. We will set up your portfolio with you on SmartMy Lease.