COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)- Columbus & Central Ohio Systems Inc. is a submetering company. Most people who interact with this type of company rent or lease their home in an apartment community.

The management of the apartments utilizes submetering companies to manage the infrastructure of the community.

The company’s About page lists its services for property owners:

  • Water Submetering Systems
  • Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS)
  • CCOS measures water consumption, water billing, and collecting so you don’t have to.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, CCOS initially filed as a business on November 30, 1995, at 6099 Frantz Rd. in Dublin, Ohio. No address is listed on the website’s contact pager other than a place to send payments to Pittsburgh, Pa.

CCOS charges fees to process payments from residents of its customers:

  • Credit Card fee (website does not list the price)
  • Online fee $2.75
  • Over the phone $10.00
  • No fee listed for mailing payment

Before signing a lease or rental agreement, be sure to ask the property management company what company is utilized on the property for utilities.

Then, as with any company with whom you exchange money, be sure to research the submetering company’s business practices with the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio, the Public Utilities Commission, and the Ohio Attorney General Office. Should you want to take further steps, you could also search the Franklin County Clerk of Courts website for how often the company is sued or gets sued.

The best way to know if you will have to use a company like this is to ask the leasing agent before signing a rental agreement.

Remember, since the lease you choose to sign will force you to exchange information and money with a third party vendor, you will need to research the company on your own.

You can use not for profits like:

Finally, these companies do not generate or supply the utility they bill you for. Instead, they manage the infrastructure and accounts.

Similar companies at leasing communities are Nationwide Energy Partners and American Power and Light