What the water consumption difference is and why everyone pays for it

The short answer. The difference is the gap between the amount of water supplied to the building by the utility and the total that all the apartments report between them.

How it happens. A shared billing meter is installed on the outside wall of the building, and the building pays for water based on its reading. Each apartment has its own meter too. These two totals almost never match, and the shared meter usually shows more.

Why everyone pays. An apartment building is joint property. Just like the electricity in the stairwell or a roof repair, the owners are jointly responsible for water that reached the building but wasn’t counted in any apartment.

How large it is. In some Latvian cities, the gap between the water supplied to all apartment buildings and the amount residents declare runs at around a fifth, and in individual buildings it can top 40%. The difference between buildings is huge, and it can be changed.

The main takeaway. A large difference isn’t inevitable. It’s a technical problem with a specific cause, and that cause can be found.