Start here
The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why the billing method changes what to compare
A renter may see a separate utility amount without knowing whether it came from an individual meter, a submeter, a shared meter, a ratio formula, or a fixed fee.
The lease, actual bill, meter dates, and allocation method are more useful than guessing from a high total. Disclosure rules differ by location; this tool does not claim that every landlord must provide every record in every state.
The protocol
- Save the rent statement, utility line, lease clause, and the dates covered by the charge.
- Ask the property manager in writing whether the amount uses an individual meter, submeter, shared meter, allocation formula, or fixed fee.
- Request the bill, reading dates, calculation, and fees that the lease or local rules make available; keep a copy of the request.
- Compare the period and formula with prior statements, and mark missing information as unknown rather than estimating a legal balance.
- If the response does not explain the amount, ask a local tenant-aid or consumer office which state or local route applies before taking a rent-related step.
What the tool does
Build a renter utility-allocation request record. It runs locally in this browser and sends nothing.
Limit first: This is a documentation aid, not housing, utility, or legal advice. It cannot determine your local right to inspect a record, calculate a binding balance, or authorize withholding rent.
Open the companion tool →Cost and free path
Cost: Free: one complete local run in this browser, with no account or upload; the tool does not transmit what you enter. Optional $4 one-time convenience unlock for unlimited runs of this tool on this browser; never a subscription. The protective answer and every free-path step remain free.
Rule status (state route): State and local route, checked 2026-10-10: utility pass-through, submeter, and shared-meter rules vary with the lease and location. This record makes no nationwide claim about which billing documents a landlord must provide.
Automated decision this documents: an automated allocation formula or billing-system calculation assigning building utility costs to a renter's account
Free path, in order (no cost):
- A written records question to the landlord or property manager using the lease contact
- Your state's tenant or consumer office, located through official government directories
- Free or low-cost local civil legal help through USA.gov or LawHelp.org
What this cannot do: It cannot determine your local right to inspect a record, calculate a binding balance, or authorize withholding rent.
Sources checked 2026-10-10 · first-party source pages fetched and reviewed; no separate raw HTTP-status probe.
One human next step
Use the lease's written billing contact first. If the method remains unclear, find local housing or consumer help through LawHelp.org or USA.gov; utility commissions regulate different services in different states, so check the regulator's scope before filing.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a legal, eligibility, authenticity, or payment verdict. This local builder organizes first-party records and routes the reader to a source they can inspect; no free model call would make its arithmetic or status claims more reliable. §6.9: no meaningful AI inference is needed. §6.11: the reader has a specific free action this week. §6.12: status route and date are in metadata. §6.13: the action does not require buying a service.
§0.5 protection result: category is housing-and-rent-costs; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.