Step 4: Create Your First Tenant Cost Report

What You’ll Need

• A computer
• A recent water utility bill for the property
   

This article walks through how to create a tenant cost report using the default billing setup in the SimpleSUB Web App. This method is designed to help you calculate and allocate water costs accurately across tenants, but it does not send invoices directly to tenants through the Web App.

If you’re interested in sending invoices directly to tenants, please reach out to the SimpleSUB Support Team for more information about Enhanced Billing options.

In this example, we’ll bill tenants for water usage from the previous month, based on the utility’s billing schedule.

Utilities often bill mid-month, and property owners or HOAs typically apply those charges to tenants in the following month. This approach ensures tenants are billed for the exact amount charged by the utility.

Let's look at our example water bill and find the information needed.  First, look for a date range for the bill.  In this case, it's called the Billing Period (note that all bills are a little different):

The next thing we need to find is the water usage that the utility measured over this billing period.  You'll also need to find the units (typically thousands of gallons or CCF).  This can be a little tricky to find.  For residential tenants, expect to see ~2000 - 5000 gallons or ~3.2 - 8 CCF per unit.  If you're not sure, call your water utility to verify.  There should be a phone number to call on your bill.

Finally, find the cost that you'd like to split amongst your tenants. 

Now that we have reviewed our example bill, we can enter the details into the web app to generate a tenant cost report.

Step 1: Navigate to the Property

1. Log in to the Web App.
2. Click the property name in the left-hand panel to open the Property View.

Step 2: Add a Bill

1. Click Add Bill to begin.
2. You’ll be prompted to enter information from the utility bill.

Step 3: Enter Utility Bill Details

You’ll need the following information from the bill:

• Billing period (often labeled “Read Dates” or “Billing Period”)
• Total water usage for the property
• Units of measurement (gallons or CCF)
• Total cost to be split among tenants
• Rate method
   

Important Notes:

• Most properties enter the full water and sewer total.
• If the bill includes non-usage-based fees (e.g., fire line, trash), subtract those amounts and add them later as fixed fees. Always verify local and state regulations related to water submetering.

The rate method is automatically selected based on how the property was set up:

• SimpleSUB Effective → Entire property is metered
   
• Utility Effective → Not all lines are metered (e.g., irrigation, common area usage)
   

(Additional details on rate methods are available in the FAQ.)

Step 4: Review the Utility Bill

From the bill, locate:

• The billing period (look for "read dates" on your water bill)
   
• Water usage in thousands of gallons or CCF
  • The Web App uses units of 1,000 gallons.
    • If your utility bills in gallons, move the decimal three spaces to the left.
    • Example: 34,000 gallons → enter 34
  • If unsure, contact the utility provider using the phone number on the bill.
     
• Total cost of the bill
  • If the bill includes only water and sewer, enter the full total on this page. If the bill also includes additional fees (such as stormwater or trash), enter only the water and sewer charges by adding the two totals together. You’ll add any fixed fees on the next page.

Step 5: Add Fees (Optional)

After clicking Next, you can add additional fees such as:

• Trash
• Stormwater
• SimpleSUB monthly service fee

1. Click Add Fee
   

2. Select fee type (flat, split, or unit flat), name the fee, and enter the amount

   a. Flat: Single, fixed charge billed to all of your tenants regardless of the number of units, residents, or the total amount collected. Examples include billing or convenience fees, trash fees, etc.

   b. Split: Divides the total fee between your tenants. Each party pays a portion of the billing or service fee. Examples include fixed sewer fees, infrastructure costs, or other fixed-line items from your utility bill.

   c. Unit Flat: One-time charge applied to a single unit. Examples include late fees or excessive water usage fees.

Step 6: Create the Bill

1. Click Create Bill.
    
2. You’ll be taken to the Tenant Cost Report.
    

At first, tenant costs may appear as $0 if meters have not yet reported usage. Once meters are installed and collecting data, the report will automatically update to reflect actual usage. You can download this report as a CSV to import totals into your property management software, or use it to create your own invoices outside of the web app. 

That's it for now!  Once your meters arrive, you can follow the next article for the physical meter install.