NC H844

Authorizes the North Carolina Utilities Commission to adopt procedures allowing landlords to charge tenants for water and sewer service costs in single-family dwellings, residential buildings, and multiunit apartment complexes.

Requires charges to be based on metered water consumption, with rates not exceeding the supplier's unit consumption rate, except as provided in alternative billing methods.

Allows landlords of contiguous dwelling units built prior to 1989 to allocate water costs based on individually submetered hot water usage if measuring total water usage is impractical or uneconomical.

Permits landlords to pass through flat rates approved by the Commission for contiguous dwelling units and allows equal division of bills among multiple lessees in a single unit, with required bill documentation and 12-month record retention.

Prohibits landlords from billing tenants for common area water usage, water loss from leaks, or excess usage from plumbing malfunctions unknown to tenants, and requires the Commission to set allowable administrative and late fees.

Becomes effective October 1, 2021.