Utility charges like heating and electricity charges are managed uniformly by a shared house management section. Generally there are 2 ways of charge system, which are flat rate system and cost splitting among all the residents
Generally flat rate system is mainly introduced to utility charges as one of common service charges because complaints tend to harshly come out of the residents about like how much electricity has been used by whom when a utility bill is sent to them. This sense of unfairness causes big troubles later among the residents. So a shared house side wants to avoid this situation.
Contents
Flat rate system of utility charges
There are two payment structure which are
- Type 1: utility charges included in common service charges
- Type 2: utility charges not in common service charges
Regardless of either one of payment structure, charges amount are not different. Only the difference which you feel the benefit is whether or not you can easily manage your money between utility charges included in common service charges and uitlity chages not included in common services.
Common service charges are about expenses of consumables to be used by every single residents, which all the residents in a shared house need to burden jointly.
For example, Internet access expenses, cleaning expenses, toilet paper, seasonings, cooking equipments all belong to common service charges. If utility charges are integrated with these charges, it’s pretty easy to keep and manage your accounts.
Flat rate system charges are fixed. No matter how much electricity, heating and water you use, your monthly utility charges are constantly fixed unless special agreement about advance in utility charges is fulfilled.
However, don’t misunderstand flat rate system is not unlimited usage. there is commonsensible line that you should use proper amount of energies appropriately. For example, when you leave your room, you need to switch off a air conditioner and lights.
If you consume energies in surplus as ignoring the shared house rules, you are notified to cancel the lease agreement. Don’t forget to live with other people in the same house.
According to Statistics Bureau of Ministry of Public Management、Home Affairs、Posts and Telecommunications, average monthly utility expenses ( heat、light and water expenses) for a single life is 10,612 yen per month on December in 2017.
The breakdown of general utility expenses for a single life
| Average water expenses | 2000yen |
|---|---|
| Average electricity expenses | 3000yen to 8000yen |
| Average heating expenses | 3000 yen to 6000yen |
The breakdown of utility charges included in common service charges for a shared house
| Utility charges | 5000 yen to 6000 yen |
|---|---|
| other charges | 5000 yen to 10000 yen |
| Total charges | 10000 yen to 15000 yen |
If you pay attention only to utility charges, when compared each other, a shared house expenses are more reasonable. However, if you see both of the total charges you’re claimed to pay, it is naturally that a shared house charges are more expensive because other
miscellaneous charges are claimed in the name of common service expenses.
In most of the cases, a shared house will not disclose the details of the breakdown of common service charges. There is no way you could know whether these charges are used for public consumables which everyone needs to use justifiably. But you just ask persistently a person in charge what on the earth this common charge is used for to protect yourself from being exploited. If you can’t receive understandable answer from a shared house, I recommend you shouldn’t make a contract.
If you inspect the breakdown of common service charges, refer to the above general market price in the table.
A case where common service expenses don’t include electricity
To prevent residents from using too much electricity, some shared houses remove electricity bill from common service charges and claim electricity charges separately as residents pay as much electricity as they use. In this case, a electric meter is set in every rooms to be able to know how much electricity they use.
Flat rate system is not for unlimited usage
Don’t misunderstand flat rate system is not for unlimited usage. Flat rate system adopted to utility charges refers to general average expenses that supposed to be consumed by a single resident based on statistics of family budget inquiry surveyed by the Japanese government.
Why a shared house introduces utility expenses to flat rate system is because it is easy to manage the costs which is involved with a shared house management.
A shared house expects you to use commonsensible amount of utility energies which you can consider from the common service expenses.
If you use too much energies judging from utility charges, those charges will be raised up by a shared house management section or for more terrible case, it presses you to terminate a lease contract.
A shared house management company is not a charity organization but profit-making corporation. It is pretty natural that it tries to reduce too much costs that press financial situation in some ways.
You can’t adjust each expenses by restricting usage frequency by yourself basically at a shared house which introduces flat rate system. But there are 3 ways you may sove this problem.
- Move to a shared house which provide cheaper common service charges than that of market price
- Move to a shared house which requires you to pay splitted charges of total utility expenses equally.
- Move to a shared house whose common service expenses don’t include electricity
The first solution is very realistic one that you can accept smoothly. However, The more charges rate reduces, the more rules tend to be set about the condition of using utility equipments. For example, if you don’t turn off lights before leaving a room, you may be fined as often as you break the rule.
The second solution is not recommendable one. This system is relied totally on residents’ independence of mind. It is very difficult to collect expenses in fairness because making you pay equal splitted charges is not already fair.
If you save expenses very hard, total charge rate goes down and charges for individuals to burden reduce. But you may have a complaint you try very hard to reduce costs for every residents who are not concerned about this. This system takes over a bad aspect of socialism
The third solution is also realistic too same as the first one. You may feel all the expenses you can save by yourself is electricity. But in most cases, a expense that triggers troubles among residents about utility payments in the second solution above is electricity.
Because frequency of using stoves in a kitchen and using water for bathing is much lower than that of using electricity in their own room. A majority charge occupied in total utility charges is electricity. Nobody can restrict other residents’ private activity in their room and it is difficult to draw up a set of rules all about this thing.
So the measure that equips eletricity meter in front of each rooms is the best solution to save your utility expenses