Before you begin
- Confirm that the tenancy agreement permits the intended bills allowance and charge basis.
- Have the monthly included quantities, extra-unit prices and accurate start/end readings for the period.
- Check utility units and tenancy identity before recording or changing an allowance.
The illustrations use fictional demonstration records. Follow your organisation’s review and approval process before issuing changes.
An owner can explain what the rent includes and show how a particular excess charge was derived.
What the workflow coordinates
The interface states that saved readings above an allowance become draft expense invoices and that historical readings preserve their original allowance basis. Automatic issuance or a change to the rent ledger is not described.
What people review
People agree the allowance, verify units/readings/rates, check the draft and authorize any final charge or correction.
Review the tenancy’s bills arrangement
Open the correct tenancy Overview and find Bills included in rent. Read whether an allowance is already configured, then use Set up to inspect the utility basis instead of assuming that all utilities or unlimited use are covered by the headline rent.
The intended allowance matches the right tenancy and documented arrangement.
The intended allowance matches the right tenancy and documented arrangement.
Set monthly quantities and extra-unit prices
In Bills included in rent, choose the utility and enter Included a month and the corresponding Price per extra unit, such as Price per extra m³ for water. Add other utilities through Add a utility… and review units and amounts before Save allowance.
Every included utility has a clear monthly quantity, unit and extra-usage price.
Every included utility has a clear monthly quantity, unit and extra-usage price.
Enter a period’s start and end readings
Open Expenses → Meter readings and use Add meter reading. Choose Tenancy and Utility, set Period from and Period to and enter Start reading and End reading before Save reading; check the actual meter evidence rather than inferring usage from an allowance.
The tenancy, utility, period and reading pair are consistent and supported.
The tenancy, utility, period and reading pair are consistent and supported.
Compare used, included and excess values
In the meter register, read Used / included and Extra together for the recorded period. The example distinguishes water Within allowance from electricity above its included quantity, so review the basis before treating an excess amount as owed.
Any excess quantity and price can be explained from the correct period and allowance.
Any excess quantity and price can be explained from the correct period and allowance.
Review the draft expense invoice before issue
Open the linked Draft invoice when usage exceeds the allowance and inspect its line amount, tenancy, due date and tenant-facing note. Keep it as a draft until the basis is checked, using the expense workflow’s deliberate issue route rather than assuming that saving a reading sends a final charge.
The excess-usage charge remains reviewed and deliberate before it becomes a locked issued expense invoice.
The excess-usage charge remains reviewed and deliberate before it becomes a locked issued expense invoice.
Keep the historical calculation basis clear
When changing an allowance for later use, read the setup note that past readings keep the allowance they were calculated with. Use the recorded period and original basis when explaining an earlier invoice, and follow the issued-invoice correction process instead of assuming a new allowance rewrites history.
Old and new allowance terms are distinguishable in later explanation and review.
Old and new allowance terms are distinguishable in later explanation and review.
What you should have at the end
The intended outcome is a recorded usage comparison and, where needed, an excess-usage draft on the Expenses ledger for human review. No final allowance save, reading submission or invoice issue was executed in this review.
Demonstration notes and availability
- Reviewed against the official demo at demo.estatereal.io. Screenshots are native 3× captures in English/light mode. Preset records and enabled functions can change.
- This review followed navigation, record tabs and unsaved forms. It did not submit payments, signatures, invitations, messages or irreversible record changes.
Useful answers
Does saving a reading issue an invoice?+
The observed form says above-allowance use becomes a draft expense invoice for review and issue. It does not describe automatic final issuance.
Will changing the allowance recalculate old readings?+
The allowance dialog explicitly says past readings keep the allowance they were calculated with.
Is the excess added to rent?+
No. The tenancy and Expenses screens say excess usage is billed on the separate Expenses ledger.