Attending college and living with roommates comes with a whole new set of responsibilities, including managing utilities. To simplify paying your utility bills, we employ a system of Usage Factors.
What are Usage Factors?
In shared student housing, utilities are often divided per bedroom, rather than per apartment. Usage Factors represent the proportion of the utility charges allocated to each roommate, based on the total charges for the apartment.
Standard Calculation
In most cases, each roommate’s Usage Factor remains consistent. For instance, if the total electric bill for the unit is $100 and there are four roommates, each roommate’s Usage Factor would be 25%, resulting in a $25 charge for each.
Adjustments for Moving In or Out
However, situations arise where Usage Factors need to be adjusted. When a new roommate moves in or an existing roommate moves out mid-billing cycle, it’s crucial to reflect their actual usage accurately. For example, if a roommate joins on the last day of the billing period, they’re only responsible for that day’s usage, not the entire period. We determine the usage factor using the dates that each lease is active.
Decimal Representation
Usage Factors are represented as decimals on the bill. For example, a Usage Factor of 0.25 indicates a 25% share of the total bill, while a Usage Factor of 0.006 reflects a minimal usage, such as a roommate present for only one day.
Individual Responsibility
If you’re the sole resident of the apartment, your Usage Factor will be 1.00, indicating that you’re responsible for 100% of the utility bill.
Billing Description Example
See below for a sample billing description with a Usage Factor applied:
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