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FAQ's

As the utility billing manager selected by your landlord, Residential Utility Solutions ("RUS") is dedicated to providing you with timely and accurate utility bills each month. In order to help you understand your monthly billing statement, here are answers to some frequently asked questions. If you have any further questions regarding your bill that are not listed above, please click here to email us. We look forward to servicing you, and thank you for your valued business!

Q: Who is Residential Utility Solutions?

Q: What is the RUBS program?

Q: Which utilities are billed under my account with RUS?

Q: What do I need to do to set up or cancel my account?

Q: When is my payment due each month?

Q: How can I make a payment?

Q: What is the $2.50 Billing Fee?

Q: How is my Budgeted Usage Fee calculated?

Q: How and when will my Budgeted Usage Fee change?

Q: How will I receive my invoice?

Q: Why does my first invoice include billings for more than one month of service?

Q: Who is Residential Utility Solutions?
A: Residential Utility Solutions ("RUS") is a utility billing manager that has been retained by your landlord to manage the process of invoicing its residents for certain utilities at buildings under its management. RUS is independent of your landlord and management company. RUS is not a utility provider.

Q: What is the RUBS program?
A: RUBS stands for Ratio Utility Billing System and is a common industry method of allocating and billing utility usage fees in situations where individual utility meters do not exist. For instance, where an apartment building has one master meter for utilities such as natural gas, owners will typically implement a RUBS program to allocate the usage of the master metered utility to tenants. The allocation of utility costs is customarily calculated based on factors such as the square footage of the apartment, the number of bedrooms, and/or the number of occupants. The owner subsidizes a portion of the actual master metered utility to account for usage in common areas, such as lobbies, hallways, laundry rooms, and other areas within the building.

Q: Which utilities are billed under my account with RUS?
A: Presently, you are invoiced only for natural gas utility associated with your apartment. In most cases, the natural gas is used to heat your apartment. However, some buildings also utilize one master gas meter to provide cooking gas to your kitchen range. If you reside in a building that has separate meters for cooking gas, you will need to establish a separate account with People’s Gas. Please note that RUS is Not affiliated in any way with your local utility providers, such as People’s Gas or Commonwealth Edison. If your apartment requires services for those utilities, those accounts are separate and in addition to your account with RUS.

Q: What do I need to do to set up or cancel my account?
A: Nothing. Your account is automatically set up by your landlord once your lease begins based upon the terms of your lease. Likewise, once you move out, your landlord communicates directly with RUS to terminate the service. It is not necessary to initiate service when you move-in or to cancel service when you move out.

Q: When is my payment due each month?
A: Your monthly Budgeted Usage Fee is invoiced in advance. For each month of service, your payment will be due on the 1st day of that same month. For example, the invoice for your February utility usage will be mailed on or about January 15th and due on February 1st.

Q: How can I make a payment?
A: Visit http://www.rusllc.com/payment/ to make a credit card payment at this time. The other acceptable forms of payment are personal check, money order, or cashier’s check made payable to Residential Utility Solutions. Do not make checks payable to or pay your building landlord or management company directly, as it will cause a delay in processing your payment. Please remit payment to Residential Utility Solutions, P.O. Box 13340, Chicago, IL 60613.

Q: What is the $2.50 Billing Fee?
A: The Billing Fee is an industry standard monthly administrative fee charged to every residence for costs related to billing and calculating utility usage fees.

Q: How is my Budgeted Usage Fee calculated?
A: The Budgeted Usage Fee is based on a percentage of the actual utility costs paid by the landlord to the utility provider. More specifically, the Budgeted Usage Fee is equal to the total annual utility costs for the building for the preceding calendar year, multiplied by 75%, divided by the total square footage of the building, multiplied by the square footage of your apartment. Your landlord subsidizes 25% of the master metered utility usage to account for utility usage in the common areas such as lobbies, hallways, laundry rooms, etc. The remaining share of the usage fees is allocated to residents based upon the formula. Tenants may request, in writing, to view the master-metered bills during normal business hours. A copy of the bill will be made available within 14 business days of the written request.

Q: How and when will my Budgeted Usage Fee change?
A: For your convenience, the actual annual costs associated with your apartment have been divided into twelve equal payments referred to as the Budgeted Usage Fee. Therefore, you can rely on constant steady invoice amounts throughout the year as opposed to cyclical and expensive heating bills usually incurred in winter months. The Budgeted Usage Fee is calculated annually; however, the rate will not change during the term of the lease agreement. The rate may only increase or decrease at the time the lease is renewed.

Q: How will I receive my invoice?
A: Monthly invoices are automatically mailed to your apartment each month. However, if you would like, you may elect to receive your invoices by email simply by contacting RUS by telephone or email.

Q: Why does my first invoice include billings for more than one month of service?
A: If you moved in between the 1st and 14th day of a month, it is likely that you will not receive your first RUS invoice until the second calendar month of your term. This invoice will include a prorate charge for the first month that you lived in your apartment plus the ensuing month, because RUS invoices in advance. For example, if you move in on January 3rd, you will receive your first invoice on or about January 15th, which will include billings for January 3rd - 31st, plus the entire month of February.