Friendwell Management’s Success with SimpleSUB Water

Overview

Friendwell Management, which oversees multiple retail centers in New Jersey, had a growing challenge: no tenant-level metering, rising water bills, and billing practices that divided total costs evenly, regardless of actual usage.

This led to frequent tenant disputes, inefficiencies in billing, and increasing pressure on the property management team. At Friendwell Plaza, Station Plaza, and Quaker Bridge Village Commons, outdated plumbing made traditional in-line submeters cost-prohibitive.

That’s when they turned to SimpleSUB Water. This solution that delivered real-time usage tracking, accurate billing, and a fast, non-invasive install process.

Customer Profile

• Property: Friendwell Plaza, Station Plaza, and Quaker Bridge Village Commons
• Type: Retail spaces
• Location: New Jersey
• Meter Count: 30+ submeters installed (and expanding)
• Interviewee: Jody S., Senior Property Manager

The Problem: Shared Billing, No Visibility, Constant Frustration

Without submeters, water charges were split across tenants, many of whom had very different usage patterns. Restaurants, retail shops, and service businesses all shared the same bill, which bred frustration and billing disputes.

Tenant billing disputes created dissatisfaction. Property owners lost confidence in water management.

• The infrastructure was too old for traditional plumbing-based meters.
• Property managers had no way to monitor individual tenant consumption.
• Tenants pushed back on perceived unfair charges.
• Manual processes slowed down billing and strained operations.

With cost recovery lagging and tenant trust fading, Friendwell needed a modern solution that didn’t require ripping into aging plumbing systems.

The Solution: Clamp-On Submeters That Work Seamlessly and Scale Easily

Friendwell deployed SimpleSUB Water’s over-the-pipe submeters, which offered an immediate fix—no pipe cutting, no plumbing labor, and no disruptions to tenants.

“The process couldn’t have been easier—from ordering and setup to installation and billing.”
— Jody S., Senior Property Manager, Friendwell Management

Key benefits included:

• Over-the-Pipe Installation: Strap-on design meant no invasive work, even on old plumbing.
• Real-Time LTE Monitoring: Live usage data was accessible anytime, anywhere.
• Accurate Tenant Billing: Transparent usage allocation eliminated disputes.
• Scalability: 30 meters installed so far, with more coming.

“SimpleSUB was almost too good to be true. So easy and efficient! If you’re considering SimpleSUB, do it! Our team had a fantastic experience working with them from start to finish.”
— Jody S.

Results: Disputes Resolved, Billing Accuracy Improved, and Scaling in Progress

With over 30 submeters installed across the three retail properties, Friendwell saw immediate improvements:

• Tenant Satisfaction Increased with accurate, usage-based billing.
• Disputes were eliminated, thanks to transparent allocation.
• Property Owner Confidence Rebuilt, driven by real-time, reliable data.
• Cost Recovery Improved, allowing full pass-through of water expenses.
• Billing Operations Streamlined, saving staff time and effort.
• Scalability Built In, with more submeters planned across the portfolio.

“For retail property owners, SimpleSUB provides a fast, scalable, and tenant-friendly solution that improves billing accuracy and eliminates disputes—while saving time and money.”
— Jody S.

Eliminate Tenant Disputes and Simplify Water Billing Across Your Portfolio

At Friendwell Management’s retail centers in New Jersey, evenly split water bills caused frustration, disputes, and lost revenue. That is, until SimpleSUB Water made fair, accurate billing effortless. With 30+ clamp-on submeters now installed (and more on the way), the team gained real-time visibility, precise tenant-level tracking, and full cost recovery, all without touching the plumbing. For property managers juggling aging infrastructure and tenant billing challenges, SimpleSUB delivers scalable clarity and peace of mind.

‍‍Schedule a demo to see how it can transform your portfolio.