Meter readings for rental units: by hand or automatic

This is an English translation of the Vietnamese original, provided for reference only; the Vietnamese version prevails. It is general information, not legal advice, and NEXT HOME makes no commitment as to its legal accuracy. Where a rule or contract term matters, consult a qualified lawyer in Vietnam. Read the Vietnamese original

Summary

Reading by hand costs nothing but takes time and invites disputes; automatic reading needs connected meters but gives daily figures with a history you can use as evidence. Whichever you choose, the unit price and calculation method must be agreed in the lease.

For monthly rental units, power and water charges are usually the line on the bill that raises the most questions. There are three common ways to take meter readings.

Method 1: Reading by hand

The manager goes from room to room and writes the power and water meter figures into a notebook or spreadsheet.

Advantage: no equipment cost.
Disadvantage: time consuming, easy to misread, requires access to the room, and when a tenant queries the figure there is no evidence other than the number written down.

Method 2: Photographing the meters

Like reading by hand, but with a photo as evidence. This reduces disputes, but someone still has to visit every room and re-enter the figures into the spreadsheet.

Method 3: Automatic reading

Connected power and water meters send readings to the system. On the reading day the figures are already there and go straight onto the bill.

Advantages: no rounds to take readings, a daily history, and you see at once which unit consumes abnormally.
Points to note: you must install connected meters, and you should keep a way to enter figures by hand when a meter loses its signal.

What to agree in the lease

The monthly reading day and how to handle a first or last month with odd days.
The power and water unit prices and calculation method, according to the agreement and current regulations on electricity and water prices for tenants.
What happens when a meter breaks or gives no reading.
Whether the deposit can be used to offset power and water for the last month.

How TingStay handles it

TingStay receives cumulative readings from the meters in the unit through the TingEdge, closes them per billing period and puts them on a bill with a QR code for bank transfer. Unit prices carry an effective date and can be changed when prices change. If a meter gives no reading, the system raises an alert and allows manual entry. TingStay only measures and supplies the figures; the unit price, bill template and calculation method are decided by the landlord.

Further reading: Billing tenants for electricity under Vietnamese rules.

Frequently asked questions

Can mechanical power and water meters be read automatically?

No. Automatic reading requires meters with a data port such as RS485. Mechanical meters still work, but they have to be read by hand or photographed every month.

On which day should meter readings be taken?

Pick a fixed day each month and write it in the lease, usually the last day of the calendar month. For a first or last month with odd days, agree on the calculation in advance.

At what rate should tenants be charged for electricity?

At the residential retail electricity tariff: by quota per number of people if the lease is 12 months or longer and all occupants are declared, and at the tier 3 rate if the lease is shorter than 12 months or not all occupants are declared.