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Set Up Ratio Utility Billing (RUBS)

Help Topics / Accounting / Ratio Utility Billing (RUBs)

Set Up RUBS

Activate RUBS in AppFolio

Please submit a support request and a Customer Success Manager can enable RUBS for your account.

Users who will be entering utility bills need to have the correct permissions enabled.  Please include this in your
support request.

Confirm or Set Up GL Accounts for Utility Bills

You need to have an expense (for the bill) and income (for the tenant charge) GL account set up for each utility type you
plan to bill for. If you already have GL accounts for this purpose, you can continue to use them.  If you do not currently
have GL accounts set up for each utility, see Add a GL Account (https://help.appfolio.com/s/article/Add-or-Edit-GL-
Accounts) for instructions to add these accounts. 

Confirm or Set Up Utility Vendors

You also need to have your utility companies set up as vendors in AppFolio.  If you already have these vendors in AppFolio
you can continue to use them.  If you do not currently have these vendors in your account, see Enter a New Vendor
(https://help.appfolio.com/s/article/Add-a-Vendor-Record) for instructions to add them. 

Set Up Utility Allocations on Properties 

1. Navigate to a property page and scroll down find the Utility Billing (RUBS) section.  You will see a warning that
no units have been enabled, but you will do this after setting up allocations.

2. Click Add Allocation and enter the following information:

Select a utility type.

Select the vendor who provides the utility service.

Select the Vendor Bill GL account, or the expense GL account for this utility.

Select the Tenant Charge GL account, or the income GL account for this utility. 

Enter the Owner Contribution, or the amount of the bill covered by the owner.  This is the minimum
amount that will be paid by the owner when all units are occupied for the full month and the RUBS
period covers the full month. In months with partial or full unit vacancy, the additional amounts will be
passed on to the owner for payment.

The Tenant Contribution percentage is the remaining percentage not covered by the owner.

Enter the Tenant Allocation:

 # of Occupants - How much of the Tenant Contribution amount is based on the number of
tenants listed in the unit.

Square Feet - How much of the Tenant Contribution amount is based on the square footage of
the unit.

3. When done, click Save.  Repeat for all necessary utilities on all properties where you will use RUBS. 

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 Activate Eligible Units for RUBS

As you are enabling units for RUBS, please review all units' occupancy counts and square footage for accuracy so charges
for tenants are calculated correctly.

1. Navigate to a unit page within a property set up for RUBS.

2. Find the Unit Information section and click edit.
3. Check the Utility Billing (RUBS) Enabled box and the date it should be enabled as of.  If a bill is entered with a
consumption period before this enabled date, the charges for this unit will not be correct.  Use the Unit
Directory report and add the Utility Billing (RUBS) Enabled and Utility Billing Start On columns to view
which units in your account are enabled. 

Set Up Ratio Utility Billing (RUBS)

Set-Up-Ratio-Utility-Billing-RUBS

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