Digital Library: An Introduction to Ratio Utility Billing Systems for Tenant Advocates

February 15, 2026 — Article

A growing rental housing utility billing practice is called Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS). RUBS may create problems for tenants not found in other utility billing systems and may even enable abusive landlord utility billing practices for a tenant’s gas, electricity, or water services. Understanding RUBS is now essential for anyone representing tenants.

A RUBS bill is not determined by calculating a particular tenant’s utility usage. Instead RUBS bills are  based on opaque, building-wide formulas. These formulas differ from one building to the next and can be changed at the landlord’s discretion. As explained below, RUBS bills may pass along inflated charges or include additional junk fees adding to the growing utility affordability crisis.

This article discusses what RUBS billing is, how RUBS billing differs from and may be worse for tenants than other types of utility billing, the potential for RUBS overcharges, and how to determine if a client’s RUBS bill is accurate.