RUBS—Ratio Utility Billing Systems—is a corporate landlord scam designed to force tenants to pay for building-wide utility bills we can't control.
BAN RUBS
RUBS hides rent hikes in your utility bill.
Featured Press & Media
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These LA tenants saw some utility fees double. So they went on strike
Two tenants associations have launched a RUBS strike, paying their rent but not their RUBS utilities fees!
Photo: Virgil Square Tenants Association
Credit: Phoenix Tso / LA Public Press
August 13, 2025 -
L.A. tenants demand their landlord stop charging hundreds of dollars in utility fees
Mozaic at Union Square tenant Paige Gresty speaks at a press conference convened by her neighbors and tenants from Virgil Square Apartments, both of which are owned and managed by Equity Residential. Mozaic and Virgil Square tenants want Equity Residential to reveal exactly how they calculate utility fees that can add more than $200 to their rent.
Photo by Phoenix Tso.
Credit: Phoenix Tso / LA Public Press
May 8, 2025 -
‘We don’t know what we’re paying for’: L.A. tenants seek accountability over excessive utility bills
A group of Los Angeles tenants is demanding answers from their corporate landlord about the excessive and unpredictable utility bills added to their rent each month.
Photo credit KNX News 97.1 FM -
LA tenants' strikes forced a major landlord to refund opaque utility fees. Their fight isn't over.
A commonly used billing system can allow landlords to quietly shift building utility costs onto tenants. Tenants say it’s time to break open the black box.
Photo credit: Shelterforce
October 10, 2025