AC Lewis Management
AC Lewis Management is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and manages 10 multifamily properties throughout the state. In an effort to improve their Net Operating Income they switched their utility billing model from including utilities in the rent to directly billing their residents based on their consumption. AC Lewis looked to PayLease to implement their new billing model.
“The savings have been remarkable. For example, a typical water and sewer bill at our 197 unit property is somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000 per month. Recouping those costs from residents at multiple properties makes a huge difference financially.”
Michelle Kimble
Regional Manager for AC Lewis
The Challenge
Before using PayLease, AC Lewis was including utilities in the rent instead of directly billing their residents. As a way to improve Net Operating Income, they decided they would begin billing residents for their utility consumption. Instead of using a RUBS calculation to determine resident utility charges, AC Lewis wanted to use submeters to give them a precise read for each unit. It was also important to have an integration with ResMan, their property management software. Another feature they wanted was to have a utility allowance factored into the monthly bills for their student housing residents. This fairly common practice for student properties would hold residents financially responsible for utility consumption above an allotted amount. Finally, since resident utility billing would be new to both AC Lewis’ residents and property managers, they wanted their service to be easy to implement, user-friendly, and have excellent customer service.