S.B. No. 873
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the authority and liability of owners and managers of
  apartment houses, manufactured home rental communities,
  condominiums, and multiple use facilities in charging tenants for
  submetered and nonsubmetered master metered water and wastewater
  services.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 13.501, Water Code, is amended by adding
  Subdivisions (1-a) and (9) and amending Subdivision (5) to read as
  follows:
               (1-a)  "Condominium manager" or "manager of a
  condominium" means a condominium unit owners' association
  organized under Section 82.101, Property Code, or an incorporated
  or unincorporated entity comprising the council of owners under
  Chapter 81, Property Code. 
               (5)  "Owner" means the legal titleholder of an
  apartment house, manufactured home rental community, or multiple
  use facility and any individual, firm, or corporation expressly
  identified in a lease agreement as [that purports to be] the
  landlord of tenants in the apartment house, manufactured home
  rental community, or multiple use facility.  The term does not
  include the manager of an apartment home unless the manager is
  expressly identified as the landlord in the lease agreement.
               (9)  "Utility costs" or "utility service costs" means
  any amount charged to the owner by a retail public utility for water
  or wastewater service.
         SECTION 2.  Section 13.503, Water Code, is amended by adding
  Subsection (f) to read as follows:
         (f)  This section does not limit the authority of an owner,
  operator, or manager of an apartment house, manufactured home
  rental community, or multiple use facility to charge, bill for, or
  collect rent, an assessment, an administrative fee, a fee relating
  to the upkeep or management of chilled water, boiler, heating,
  ventilation, air conditioning, or other building system, or any
  other amount that is unrelated to utility costs.
         SECTION 3.  Section 13.5031, Water Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         Sec. 13.5031.  NONSUBMETERING RULES.  (a)  Notwithstanding
  any other law, the utility commission shall adopt rules and
  standards governing billing systems or methods used by manufactured
  home rental community owners, apartment house owners, condominium
  managers, or owners of other multiple use facilities for prorating
  or allocating among tenants nonsubmetered master metered utility
  service costs. In addition to other appropriate safeguards for the
  tenant, those rules shall require that:
               (1)  the rental agreement contain a clear written
  description of the method of calculation of the allocation of
  nonsubmetered master metered utilities for the manufactured home
  rental community, apartment house, or multiple use facility;
               (2)  the rental agreement contain a statement of the
  average manufactured home, apartment, or multiple use facility unit
  monthly bill for all units for any allocation of those utilities for
  the previous calendar year;
               (3)  except as provided by this section, an owner or
  condominium manager may not impose additional charges on a tenant
  in excess of the actual charges imposed on the owner or condominium
  manager for utility consumption by the manufactured home rental
  community, apartment house, or multiple use facility;
               (4)  the owner or condominium manager shall maintain
  adequate records regarding the utility consumption of the
  manufactured home rental community, apartment house, or multiple
  use facility, the charges assessed by the retail public utility,
  and the allocation of the utility costs to the tenants;
               (5)  the owner or condominium manager shall maintain
  all necessary records concerning utility allocations, including
  the retail public utility's bills, and shall make the records
  available for inspection by the tenants during normal business
  hours; and
               (6)  the owner or condominium manager may charge a
  tenant a fee for late payment of an allocated water bill if the
  amount of the fee does not exceed five percent of the bill paid
  late.
         (b)  This section does not limit the authority of an owner,
  operator, or manager of an apartment house, manufactured home
  rental community, or multiple use facility to charge, bill for, or
  collect rent, an assessment, an administrative fee, a fee relating
  to the upkeep or management of chilled water, boiler, heating,
  ventilation, air conditioning, or other building system, or any
  other amount that is unrelated to utility costs.
         SECTION 4.  Section 13.505, Water Code, is amended to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 13.505.  RESTITUTION [ENFORCEMENT].  (a)  In this
  section, "overcharge" means the amount, if any, a tenant is charged
  for submetered or nonsubmetered master metered utility service to
  the tenant's dwelling unit after a violation occurred relating to
  the assessment of a portion of utility costs in excess of the amount
  the tenant would have been charged under this subchapter.
         (b)  The utility commission has exclusive jurisdiction for
  violations under this subchapter.
         (c)  If [In addition to the enforcement provisions contained
  in Subchapter K, if] an apartment house owner, condominium manager,
  manufactured home rental community owner, or other multiple use
  facility owner violates a rule of the utility commission regarding
  utility costs, the person claiming the violation may file a
  complaint with the utility commission.  The utility commission and
  State Office of Administrative Hearings shall establish an online
  and telephone formal complaint and hearing system through which a
  person may file a complaint under this subchapter and may appear
  remotely for a hearing before the utility commission or the State
  Office of Administrative Hearings.  If the utility commission
  determines that the owner or condominium manager overcharged a
  complaining tenant for water or wastewater service from the retail
  public utility, the utility commission shall require the owner or
  condominium manager, as applicable, to repay the complaining tenant
  the amount overcharged.
         (d)  Nothing in this section limits or impairs the utility
  commission's enforcement authority under Subchapter K.  The utility
  commission may assess an administrative penalty under Section
  13.4151 for a violation of this chapter or of any rule adopted under
  this chapter [submetering of utility service consumed exclusively
  within the tenant's dwelling unit or multiple use facility unit or
  nonsubmetered master metered utility costs, the tenant may recover
  three times the amount of   any overcharge, a civil penalty equal to
  one month's rent, reasonable attorney's fees, and court costs from
  the owner or condominium manager. However, an owner of an apartment
  house, manufactured home rental community, or other multiple use
  facility or condominium manager is not liable for a civil penalty if
  the owner or condominium manager proves the violation was a good
  faith, unintentional mistake].
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
 
 
 
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 873 passed the Senate on
  April 20, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 21, Nays 10; and that
  the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 25, 2017, by the
  following vote: Yeas 21, Nays 10.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 873 passed the House, with
  amendments, on May 21, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 107,
  Nays 30, three present not voting.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
 
  Approved:
 
  ______________________________ 
              Date
 
 
  ______________________________ 
            Governor