[Got an anonymous confession or rant you just have to share with the world? Submit it to I, Anonymous HERE!—eds]
Wondering why your utilities are so high?
Aside from the usual increases, most property management companies are poorly managed baby-sitters that don’t actually manage. There is no transparency or regulatory audit required for utilities. UNLESS YOUR UTILITIES ARE INDIVIDUALLY METERED, YOU ARE TRUSTING THE PROFESSIONALISM AND REPUTATION OF THE COMPANY TO CALCULATE YOUR UTILITIES. They miscalculate things all the time, sometimes intentionally. They defer to 3rd party billing companies. They refuse to answer their phones or respond to emails. ORS 90.315 REQUIRES THEM TO PROVIDE UTILITY BILLS IF YOU ASK FOR THEM AND YOU SHOULD. HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. Yet, there is no requirement that they have office staff available to answer phones and emails in a REASONABLE amount of time. The Secretary of State doesn’t even publish or require a public phone number in their registration documentation shown online.—Anonymous