ATLANTA — A southwest Atlanta condominium community says it has discovered dozens of malfunctioning water meters, even as residents continue to receive high monthly water bills.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The issue at Peyton Place Condominiums comes after more than a year of complaints from homeowners and renters who questioned the accuracy of bills issued by the third-party utility billing company Jasber Utility.
“We’re talking five figures of unpaid water,” said Michael Shepherd, president of the Peyton Place Homeowners Association. “Honestly, it’s been extremely draining.”
For months, residents told Channel 2 Action News their water bills were unusually high.
“That’s my mortgage. I can’t afford a $1,000 water bill,” one resident said in a September interview.
MORE FROM 2 INVESTIGATES:
- Metro Atlanta woman says her Mercedes burst into flames without warning
- Sober man charged with DUI leads to investigation of officer who made arrest
- Family settles with car dealership after saying they took advantage of elderly man with dementia
Another renter, Kevin Mayes, said at the time, “I can’t afford no $400 water bill.”
Jasber Utility managed the property’s water meters. The HOA recently chose not to renew its contract with the company, citing ongoing concerns.
A newly contracted company assessed the property last month and found that several meters were not providing accurate readings and about 20 were not registering any readings at all, according to an email sent to the HOA.
“As you know, there are about 20 meters that are not providing reads,” a technician wrote in the email.
Shepherd said he asked the company to double-check the findings.
“I had them double-check. I was like, are you sure?” he said.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Channel 2 Action News reached out to Jasber Utility for comment, but did not receive a response. In a December email to the HOA, the company stated, “We did not experience any issues reading the meters for those units.”
Shepherd said he questioned how bills could have been generated if the meters were not functioning.
“I asked the new company, how could they have sent out bills if the meters weren’t working?” he said.
The HOA now faces nearly $800 per unit to replace each broken meter, an estimated total of about $15,000. Shepherd said the association is trying to avoid passing that cost on to homeowners while it negotiates with Jasber.
“It’s just really unfair that people can’t get accurate information to make informed decisions,” he said.
The HOA plans to hold a meeting in April to determine how to address the malfunctioning meters. Options under consideration include paying to replace the meters, eliminating the third-party billing company and paying the City of Atlanta directly, or implementing a flat-rate water charge for residents.
©2026 Cox Media Group
