When the Rules Shift, So Should Your Single Family Playbook

The rules for owning and operating single family rental homes are changing—and not slowly. Local governments are rewriting zoning codes. States are cracking down on how utilities get billed. And regulators from Minnesota to California are folding rental portfolios into ESG and emissions mandates that used to apply only to commercial buildings.

If you manage single family homes, you’re not just dealing with a housing market in flux. You’re also managing a growing list of compliance risks. The best owners and operators aren’t waiting for warning letters. They’re adjusting how they work now, especially when it comes to utility management operations and transparency.

Zoning Reforms Across the Country

Municipalities nationwide are revising zoning laws to address housing shortages and promote diverse housing options. Restrictions are loosening in some markets and tightening in others.

• Massachusetts: In February 2025, Cambridge ended single-family-only zoning, allowing multi-unit developments to increase housing density and affordability.​
• Maryland: Anne Arundel County passed the Housing Attainability Act in October 2024 to broaden multifamily housing types in areas previously restricted areas.
• Texas: On the other end of the spectrum, New Braunfels, Texas, recently upheld a ban on short-term rentals in residential zones. And more cities are adding infrastructure, energy, or utility performance requirements into their permitting process, directly tying compliance to local development approvals.

For operators with portfolios across states or even counties, these variations demand scalable tools and better coordination.

Utility Regulations Are Becoming More Detailed

States are adding new protections for residents, and utilities are a central part of the conversation. New laws are putting greater emphasis on transparency, accuracy, and billing fairness.

• Minnesota: Updated legal interpretations and statutes to better protect renters.

• • Lease ambiguities are now resolved in favor of the resident.

• • Under MN 504B.216, shared-metered buildings—including duplexes and triplexes—must be submetered.

• • Resident billing fees may be capped at $8 per utility.

• • Utilities can’t be shifted out of a resident’s name mid-lease just to allow rebilling. That change is only permitted during move-in with proper disclosure.

• California, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas: Increasing their focus on utility billing practices in single family homes.

• • Lawmakers and attorneys general are reviewing policies around deposits, late fees, service transitions, and billing clarity.

• • Operators should prepare for new legislation and enforcement that targets how utility charges are structured and communicated.

• • In Ohio specifically, legislation is being considered to hold residents responsible for unpaid utility bills, shifting the financial burden from landlords to residents.​

With the regulatory bar rising, operators relying on manual processes or unclear lease language are at greater risk of resident disputes and costly penalties.

ESG and Renewable Mandates Are On the Move

Federal momentum around Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting has slowed, but local and state-level regulations are picking up speed and increasing in scope. With that, utilities become the connective tissue between regulatory compliance and long-term portfolio performance.

• Over 50 cities and jurisdictions across the U.S. have pledged to implement building performance standards (BPS) or similar emissions-focused rules this year.
  • So far, most standards apply to large commercial or multifamily properties, but expanding those rules to include single family portfolios is under active discussion.
  • Local governments in California, Colorado, and New York are pushing stricter environmental mandates in response to slowed federal action.
• Solar billing enforcement is becoming more complex in deregulated and transitional markets like California, Louisiana, and Wyoming.
  • Utility passthroughs, credit structures, and provider coordination vary widely across states, posing challenges for property teams trying to bill cleanly and compliantly.

• ESG frameworks like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) are becoming the go-to standards for property managers aiming to stay ahead of regulatory and investor demands. Tracking utility data is essential to meeting those benchmarks—and proving measurable progress.

Where Do You Go From Here?

Regulatory pressure isn’t slowing down, and operators can’t stay in reactive mode. The ones who navigate change well are the ones who have visibility into what’s changing, where the risks are, and how their operations hold up under scrutiny.

When utilities are properly managed, it’s easier to maintain lease compliance, simplify audits, and avoid billing issues that can lead to fines or resident complaints. Utility performance is also becoming a key data point in investment decisions and ESG scoring.

With Conservice, you get a utility management program that’s built for changing rules and rising expectations. From billing accuracy to documentation to energy tracking, we help property teams stay ready and compliant.

If your team is spending more time chasing lease updates, resolving billing disputes, or figuring out local requirements, it’s time to simplify. For further insights on managing single-family properties in the current landscape, consider reading our blog post: How Smart Single-Family Operators Are Staying Profitable.

Lauren Bevilacqua

Lauren is the Content Marketing Manager at Conservice. She is an avid reader, fitness enthusiast, Dolly Parton fan, and will never turn down chips and salsa.