Utility Cost Recovery

Stop Paying Your
Tenants' Utility Bills.

Real Estate Chargeback Solutions helps multi-unit landlords, room-rental operators, and property managers recover water, sewer, trash, electric, and gas costs from tenants — through a properly structured, documented chargeback billing system.

$0
Upfront cost
5
Utility types covered
15%
Contingency-only fee
You
Retain billing control

Master-Metered Properties Are Bleeding Money

When one utility account covers multiple tenants — or a landlord pays utilities for a room-rental property — the costs add up fast and the recovery path isn't obvious. Here's where landlords consistently leave money behind.

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One Water Bill, Multiple Tenants

Master-metered water and sewer accounts cover every unit — but the bill lands on you. Without a chargeback structure, there's no mechanism to pass it through.

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Trash Billed to the Property

Multi-unit and room-rental properties often have trash in the owner's name. Tenants have no reason to conserve — and you absorb every dollar.

Shared or Common-Area Electric

PadSplit-style rentals, multi-unit buildings, and properties with shared meters mean landlords quietly absorb electric costs that belong to tenants.

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Master-Metered Gas & Heat

Older multi-unit buildings with one gas account leave owners covering heat and hot water for every tenant — month after month, with no recovery path.

Set Up Once. Recover Ongoing.

Real Estate Chargeback Solutions handles the invoicing — you just forward the bill. Here's the full cycle from initial setup through ongoing monthly recovery.

1

Intake & Lease Review

We review your current lease language, utility account setup, and billing history to confirm what's recoverable under Oregon law and structure the chargeback correctly.

2

You Forward the Utility Bill

Each billing cycle, you send us the utility bill electronically — directly from the provider or forwarded from your inbox. That's your only ongoing task.

3

We Generate the Tenant Invoices

We produce fully documented tenant invoices based on your bill — itemized, compliant, and ready to deliver. You get the invoices to send; we handle all the math and paperwork.

4

You Collect. We Invoice RECS's Fee.

You deliver the invoices and collect from your tenants directly. We invoice our 15% fee based on the utility bill received — separate from whatever your tenants pay you.

Built for Multi-Unit Owners and Property Managers

Real Estate Chargeback Solutions is built for situations where one utility bill covers multiple tenants — and the owner is the one absorbing it.

Multi-Unit & Master-Metered Properties

Duplexes, triplexes, apartment buildings, and any property where one utility account covers multiple units — these are the core use case. Real Estate Chargeback Solutions audits your leases, builds the allocation structure, and handles the tenant invoicing every cycle.

Room-Rental & PadSplit Operators

When you rent by the room, utilities stay in your name and you pay the full bill. Real Estate Chargeback Solutions builds a compliant per-room chargeback system — so you're recovering utility costs from every occupant, not absorbing them across the whole property.

Property Management Companies

Your clients with multi-unit or master-metered properties are losing money to utility costs they don't realize are recoverable. Real Estate Chargeback Solutions works alongside your operation to identify those opportunities and deliver documented tenant invoices — adding real value across your managed portfolio.

Every Utility Type. One Aligned Fee.

Real Estate Chargeback Solutions covers all major utility categories. Our fee is contingency-based — we only earn when you recover. There's nothing to pay upfront.

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Water & Sewer

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Trash & Recycling

Electric

If you can identify it, you can charge it back.

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Gas & Heat

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Common Area Charges

15% of the utility bill you receive. Nothing more.

Our fee is 15% of the actual utility bills charged to your account — not a percentage of what you collect from tenants, not a retainer, not a monthly management fee. If the audit determines there's nothing recoverable under your current lease and local law, you owe nothing.

Example: if your water/sewer bill is $200/month and we build a chargeback system to recover it, our fee is $30. You net $170 per cycle — and that recurs every billing period.

  • 15% of the utility bill you receive — that's it
  • No upfront cost or retainer
  • Fee applies only while recovery is active
  • Covers all five utility types
  • Works for multi-unit buildings and room-rental properties
  • You retain full billing control after setup

Common Questions

Straightforward answers to what landlords and property managers ask most.

Is it legal to charge tenants back for utilities in Oregon? +
Oregon law allows landlords to pass certain utility costs through to tenants when the lease includes proper written authorization and the billing is compliant with ORS 90.315 and applicable utility billing regulations. The structure matters — oral agreements and vague lease language won't hold up. Real Estate Chargeback Solutions builds chargeback systems that are grounded in the applicable rules for your property type and location.
What if my current leases don't mention utility chargebacks? +
That's common. Most landlords absorb utility costs because it was the path of least resistance when they signed their first tenant. We'll review your existing leases and help you understand what can be addressed at renewal versus what requires a lease amendment. We don't advise mid-lease changes that conflict with existing written agreements.
Does RECS handle the tenant invoicing for me? +
Yes — that's exactly how it works. Each billing cycle, you forward us the utility bill electronically. We generate fully documented tenant invoices based on that bill and send them back to you ready to deliver. You collect directly from your tenants; we invoice our 15% fee separately based on the utility bill amount. You're never doing the invoice math or paperwork — that's our job.
How do you calculate what's recoverable? +
We review your utility billing history, current lease language, applicable local utility billing rules, and your property configuration (metering, unit count, utility type). From that we build an estimate of what you can legitimately bill through — both retroactively where applicable and going forward. We'll be direct if the picture doesn't support a viable chargeback structure.
Is this only for multi-unit and room-rental properties? +
Primarily, yes. Real Estate Chargeback Solutions is built for situations where a landlord holds the utility account and pays a bill that covers more than one tenant — multi-unit buildings, duplexes, triplexes, and room-rental or PadSplit-style properties. Standard single-family rentals where the tenant has their own utility account in their own name typically don't need a chargeback system. If you're not sure whether your setup qualifies, reach out and we'll tell you straight.
What does the contingency percentage cover? +
The fee is 15% of the utility bill you receive from the utility company — not 15% of what your tenant pays you, and not a percentage of rent. So if your monthly water/sewer bill is $300, our fee is $45. That fee is active while the chargeback system is running and you are recovering those costs. The audit, system build, and lease language drafting are all covered under this arrangement — there's no separate setup charge.
Do you work with property managers, or just direct landlords? +
Both. Property managers can engage Real Estate Chargeback Solutions on behalf of their managed clients, either as a service enhancement or to address specific portfolios with utility absorption problems. We'll work with whatever arrangement makes sense — direct with the owner, through the PM, or in coordination with both.

Built by People Who Know Rental Property

Real Estate Chargeback Solutions, LLC is a Portland metro-area service company focused exclusively on utility billing recovery for rental property owners and managers. We exist because landlords consistently leave recoverable utility costs on the table — not because they want to, but because the path to a compliant billing system isn't obvious.

Real Estate Chargeback Solutions is a member of the Best Landlord Ever family of companies, alongside BLE coaching and consulting, BLESS property support services, and SAS Homes property management. Our shared foundation is independent landlord empowerment — giving you the systems and knowledge to operate your portfolio professionally, without unnecessary intermediaries.

We work exclusively in the Portland metro area and bring direct knowledge of Oregon landlord-tenant law, local utility billing regulations, and the practical realities of operating rental properties in this market.

Part of the Best Landlord Ever Family

  • BLE — Landlord coaching, consulting & SaaS tools for independent operators
  • BLESS — On-site property observation & vendor support services
  • SAS Homes — In-house property management for SAS Holdings properties
  • Real Estate Chargeback Solutions — Utility billing chargeback recovery setup & consulting

Let's Look at What You're Leaving Behind

If you're absorbing utility costs — or you're not sure whether you are — reach out. We'll take a look at your situation, tell you what's recoverable, and explain exactly how the chargeback system would work for your properties. No pressure, no upfront commitment.

All billing is handled through QuickBooks invoicing outside this website. We'll walk you through the fee structure before anything is formalized.

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Service Area Portland Metro Area, Oregon

Tell Us About Your Situation

We'll follow up by email within one business day. All billing is handled via QuickBooks invoicing — not through this form.