ORS § 90 § 90.572
Submeter billing.
Operative Text
(1) If allowed by a written rental agreement, a landlord using submeter billing may require a tenant to pay to the landlord a utility or service charge that has been billed by a utility or service provider to the landlord for utility or service provided directly to the tenant’s space as measured by a submeter. (2) A utility or service charge to be assessed to a tenant under this section may consist of only: (a) The cost of the utility or service provided to the tenant’s space and under the tenant’s control, as measured by the submeter, at a rate no greater than the average rate billed to the landlord by the utility or service provider, not including any base or service charge; (b) The cost of any sewer service for wastewater as a percentage of the tenant’s water charge as measured by a submeter, if the utility or service provider charges the landlord for sewer service as a percentage of water provided; (c) A pro rata portion of the cost of sewer service for storm water and wastewater if the utility or service provider does not charge the landlord for sewer service as a percentage of water provided; (d) A pro rata portion of any public service charge assessed to the landlord under ORS 90.570; (e) A pro rata portion of costs to provide a utility or service to a common area; (f) A pro rata portion of any base or service charge billed to the landlord by the utility or service provider, including but not limited to any tax passed through by the provider; and (g) A pro rata portion of the cost to read water meters and to bill tenants for water if: (A) A third party service reads the meters and bills tenants for the landlord; (B) The third party service charge does not include any other costs, including costs for repairs, maintenance, inspections or collection efforts; and (C) The landlord allows the tenants to inspect the third party’s billing records as provided by ORS 90.582. (3) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the landlord may not bill or collect more money from tenants for utilities or services than the utility or service provider charges the landlord. A utility or service charge to be assessed to a tenant under this section may not include any additional charge, including any costs of the landlord, for the installation or maintenance of the utility or service system or any profit for the landlord.
Oregon Revised Statutes § 90.572 governs how landlords may use submeter billing to pass utility or service costs through to tenants. When a written rental agreement permits it, a landlord may charge a tenant only for the actual cost of utility or service consumed in that tenant's space, measured by a submeter, at a rate no higher than the average rate the landlord itself pays the provider. The statute enumerates specific allowable cost components—such as proportional shares of sewer, storm water, common-area utility costs, base charges, and qualifying third-party meter-reading fees—and expressly prohibits any markup, profit, or charges for installation or maintenance of the utility system.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers who use submeter billing under ORS § 90.572 generally ensure that their written rental agreements explicitly authorize this billing method before assessing any utility charges to tenants. Compliant operators calculate tenant charges using only the cost categories enumerated in the statute—such as the tenant's pro rata share of sewer, common-area utility costs, and qualifying base charges—and verify that no single component exceeds the average rate billed to the landlord by the provider. Operators also take care to exclude any profit margin, installation costs, or maintenance expenses from submeter bills, and, when using a third-party meter-reading service, they make that service's billing records available for tenant inspection as required by ORS 90.582.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under ORS § 90.572, tenants subject to submeter billing have the right to be charged only for the specific cost categories the statute allows, and at rates no higher than what the landlord pays the utility or service provider. If a submeter bill appears to include charges for landlord profit, system maintenance, or costs not listed in the statute, tenants may have grounds to raise that as a violation—for example, by contacting a local tenant-rights organization or Oregon's relevant housing authorities for guidance on available remedies. Tenants billed through a qualifying third-party meter-reading service also have the right under ORS § 90.572 to inspect that service's billing records, which can be a useful starting point for understanding whether charges are calculated correctly.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
Rules and statutes cited by this regulation
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.