The rule applies before entering the rental agreement or accepting earnest money or a security deposit when water, heat or electricity is not included in rent.
If units and common areas are not separately metered, the landlord must disclose how utility-service charges are allocated among dwelling units.
ATCP 134.04(3) expressly identifies these utility charges.
The disclosure rule requires the basis to be revealed; it does not itself prescribe one statewide percentage or RUBS formula for every property.
Check what you were told before the lease or deposit
If the lease or quote makes the tenant responsible for water, heat or electricity outside the rent, preserve the pre-lease disclosure, utility addendum and any pricing material that explained that responsibility.
For a high or unexpected bill, compare those documents with the billing method actually used after move-in.
For shared metering, ask for the disclosed allocation basis
When the individual dwelling units and common areas are not separately metered, the useful question is not whether Wisconsin mandates one universal RUBS formula. ATCP 134.04(3) instead requires disclosure of the basis used to allocate utility-service charges among individual units.
Compare the disclosed basis with the occupancy, square-footage or other inputs shown on the actual bill if those factors are part of the property formula.
Keep allocation disclosure separate from the underlying utility total
A disclosed allocation method and the size of the underlying provider bill are separate inputs. Use the Utility Bill Comparison Calculator to identify statement changes, then use the RUBS Calculator only when the property actually uses an allocation formula.
Do not overread this disclosure rule
ATCP 134.04(3) is highly useful for disclosure and shared-meter allocation questions, but it does not by itself decide every rate, tax, late charge, provider adjustment or local utility issue. The exact lease, property setup and any local rule still matter.
Compare this topic across states
Official sources
Current Wisconsin administrative rule requiring disclosure before the rental agreement or deposit when water, heat or electricity is not included in rent, and requiring the allocation basis when individual units/common areas are not separately metered.
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer ProtectionTenants' Rights and Responsibilities — utility disclosure ↗Current official DATCP consumer guidance confirming that landlords must disclose whether tenants pay utilities and how charges will be divided when dwellings are not individually metered.