One month, San Diego tenant Michael Parker received a $172.33 trash bill; the next, another charge arrived for $289.27. The bills were a dramatic shift after five years of paying a flat $60 a month for utilities.
The surprise bills spurred Parker and his neighbors in San Diego to organize, withhold bill payments, and negotiate a lower monthly cap.
Here's what to know
Voice of San Diego reported that Income Property Advisors, Inc. moved the 16-unit La Suzanna apartment building in Bankers Hill onto a ratio utility billing system (RUBS). Under RUBS, tenants are charged by a formula — sometimes factoring in occupancy — instead of paying based on a meter that tracks each unit's actual utility use.
According to Parker, residents were notified that the billing method would change, but not how large the increase would be. "It was a shock because we just got the letter in the mail, and it didn't say how much it was going to increase," he said. "It just said the way they would bill us would be changing."
Residents looked to San Diego's Residential Utility Fee Ordinance, which says landlords must provide building utility bills and cannot charge more than they themselves are billed for water, sewer, and trash.
After tenants said they would hold off on paying until they could review the bills, property manager Tom Gelinas sent the records. Those papers showed trash was the largest expense, and residents later organized as the La Suzanna Tenant Council and won a $100 monthly cap.
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More background
Livable, the billing company involved, promotes RUBS as a way to encourage conservation while also protecting property owners financially. Voice of San Diego reported that cofounder and CEO Dan Sharabi said: "You tie someone's usage to their wallet and they pay attention."
However, a July 17, 2025, company blog post also described RUBS as a way to keep utility costs from cutting into a property's return on investment.
Gilberto Vera, an attorney at Legal Aid of San Diego, said landlords have increasingly adopted RUBS since California's Tenant Protection Act of 2019 limited annual rent increases to 10%. "Landlords have begun to pull out all these types of fees and expenses previously included in rent so they can increase [gross] rent to the max," Vera said.
The squeeze on La Suzanna tenants was intensified by rising city rates. Voice of San Diego reported that the San Diego City Council approved water and sewer increases totaling more than 30% over the next two years.
Tenants said that if utility bills are climbing, landlords should also be making the property more efficient. La Suzanna tenant Jason Adams suggested cutting back grass and installing "energy- and water-efficient sinks."
What's being done?
Residents questioned Gelinas' initial statement that a private trash hauler collected from the property four times a week, saying the noise at the building suggested otherwise, and they started recording pickups on camera, as Voice of San Diego reported. Gelinas later said the building's trash costs had fallen by $500, and records he shared listed a new total of $3,122.
Outside organizers also assisted the effort. Ali Mehraban of Tenant Councils of San Diego urged tenants to formalize their campaign, writing: "There is no threat of retaliation for organizing a tenant association and making demands on your landlord. In fact, it is illegal."
Residents then formed the La Suzanna Tenant Council and sent Gelinas a Feb. 18 letter asking management to eliminate RUBS.
For renters hoping to change other housing rules tied to costs — whether involving utility formulas, water-saving landscaping, gardening, or clotheslines — working with landlords to change established rules can be a practical starting point.
The final deal at La Suzanna kept the 70-30 utility split but lowered the cap for existing tenants from $200 to $100. Even after the win, tenants said the uncertainty has not gone away. Home baker Izaiah Esguerra-Coloma said: "It's pushing our budget."
Parker expressed the lingering exhaustion another way: "What did we win? We kind of just, not gave up, but we were just so out of energy. We just said let's just move on with our lives, accept the cap. But now we're gonna' have to do it all over again."
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at similar disputes renters face when landlords pass along or inflate utility costs. They include fights over water and power charges, landlord negligence, and broader battles over rising bills in San Diego.
• A tenant was stuck with an astronomical water bill after a landlord failed to fix leaks.
• A renter uncovered stacked utility bills tied to a landlord's pool freezer.
• In San Diego, officials backed a utility bill package after another San Diego Gas & Electric hike request.
• A renter challenged a $75 utility surcharge after a landlord objected to electric vehicle charging.
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