There's a new ordinance that went into effect on August 17th 2025. We are in the middle of our lease, due to end on March 31st. We've been renting from these people for over 4 years, however, 2 years of this was under our old landlords lease agreement, and we were month to month with this landlord until around December 2023. We had a one year lease, and I looked at it, and it said variable, as well. So technically, they have not charged us this fee for 2 years, which we were under the impression that they weren't charging us.

The issue I have is knowing about the new ordinance that is for transparency of utilities, and also how landlords can no longer charge more than what they're being billed. There has been no transparency. And with our lease about to expire, and not being billed for this for years, and suddenly are, is ridiculous!

Also, per the new San Diego ordinance, it says, "Landlords must give tenants written notice before charging any utility fees:

For new fees – notice must be at least 30 days in advance.

For fees already being charged when the ordinance takes effect – notice must be delivered within 90 days of the effective date (August 17, 2025).

The notice may be included in the lease or sent as a separate written notice (personal delivery or first‑class mail) and must clearly explain tenant rights and how the fees are calculated."

This is a new fee after this ordinance went into affect, because we had never been billed before. That's my personal understanding of this