Compare · Water submetering
Fourplex vs Guardian: which fits your property?
Both meter each unit and bill residents for the water they use. The difference: Fourplex also collects on autopay and runs your whole HOA — for about half the per-unit price on a 4-unit community.
The short answer
For a self-managed HOA, Fourplex reads, bills, and collects water for $12.25 per unit — with HOA management included.
Guardian Water & Power has submetered apartments, condos, and commercial properties since 1983 and is a strong choice for large buildings and portfolios. On a 4-unit HOA, though, Guardian quoted $25 per unit per month ($100/mo) to read and bill water alone, without autopay. Fourplex is $49/mo all-in on month-to-month terms: the same NextCentury metering hardware, plus collection on autopay and a complete HOA management suite on one login.
- Price per unit (4-unit HOA)
- Fourplex $12.25/mo billed monthly ($11.23 billed yearly) — read, bill, collect + HOA suite · Guardian $25/mo — read and bill (quote, June 2026)
- Monthly total
- Fourplex $49 · Guardian $100 — $51/mo ($612/yr) less with Fourplex
- Autopay
- Fourplex: included · Guardian: depends on property size (not included in the 4-unit quote)
- Contract
- Fourplex: month to month · Guardian: 5-year term on the quote
- Meter hardware
- Both: NextCentury metering hardware
- Best for
- Fourplex: self-managed HOAs of all sizes · Guardian: large condo buildings, apartments, and commercial properties
About half the per-unit price
$12.25 vs $25 per unit per month on a 4-unit HOA — $612 a year back in the budget.
Read, bill, and collect
Set up autopay once — it covers dues, trash, and utility billing in one place. No chasing checks for usage charges.
Where Guardian may fit better
Large condo buildings, apartments, and commercial properties — especially if you need gas or electric submetering or ratio billing.
Built for HOAs and the builders who create them
Builders get submetering hardware for less. HOAs get a better service, many more tools, and a lower monthly cost.
For self-managed HOAs
- Lower cost: $12.25 per unit ($11.23 billed yearly) vs a $25 per-unit water-only quote (4 units)
- Better service: water is read, billed, and collected on autopay — not just billed
- Many more tools: dues, trash billing, accounting, financial reports, website, HOA email, and state compliance tracking
- Granular water usage reporting and trends for the board and every resident
For builders and developers
- Hardware for less: 20% less on gateway hardware than Guardian (sample project, June 2026); other equipment varies
- NextCentury meters and gateways, sized with an install spec for your plumber; we commission the gateway
- No unit minimum — townhome and condo projects of any size
- Hand owners a working HOA at turnover, at $12.25 per unit instead of $25 on a 4-unit sample
Fourplex vs Guardian at a glance
What matters when you submeter a small community, side by side.
| Feature | Fourplex | Guardian |
|---|---|---|
| Price per unit (4 units) | $12.25/mo — water + full HOA platform | $25/mo — water read and bill only |
| Meter reads & usage billing | Per-unit reads and usage-based charges | Per-unit reads and resident utility billing |
| Autopay collection | One autopay setup covers dues, trash, and water | Depends on property size — not in the 4-unit quote |
| Water usage reports | Granular reporting and water trends for every unit | Month-by-month usage |
| HOA dues & accounting | Dues, ledger, bank balances, financial reports | Not HOA management software |
| Trash billing | Shared trash bill split by unit, on the same autopay setup | Trash billing offered |
| Website, email & records | Custom HOA website, HOA email, documents, meetings | Not offered |
| State compliance tracking | All 50 US states | Not offered for HOA governance |
| Gas, electric & ratio billing | Water live; gas coming soon; no electric | Water, gas, electric, and ratio (RUBS) billing |
| Meter hardware | NextCentury meters and gateways at a low price | NextCentury meters; design, install, and service |
| Contract | Month to month | 5-year term on the 4-unit quote |
Guardian pricing from a written quote for a 4-unit HOA, June 2026; services from public sources. Last updated October 19, 2026.
Pricing: what each really costs
Monthly service for the same 4-unit community. Hardware and installation are quoted separately by every submetering provider.
Fourplex
Our pricing$49per month for 4 units — $12.25 per unit billed monthly, $11.23 billed yearly
- $29/mo platform + $20/mo water (4 × $5)
- Read, bill, and collect — one autopay setup for dues, trash, and water
- HOA accounting, reports, website, email, documents included
- Month to month; NextCentury hardware at a low price
Guardian
$100per month for 4 units — $25 per unit
- June 2026 quote — read and bill water only
- Autopay depends on property size; not included in this quote
- 5-year contract on the quote
- No HOA dues, accounting, or board tools
Example
A 4-unit HOA: Fourplex $49/mo ($588/yr) to read, bill, and collect water and run the HOA, vs Guardian $100/mo ($1,200/yr) to read and bill water only — before hardware. That is $612 a year less with Fourplex.
Meters, reads, and usage data
How usage is measured per unit and how residents understand it.
With Fourplex
Same NextCentury hardware, clearer data
- NextCentury water meters and gateways at a low price
- Granular usage reporting with water trends for each unit
- A community water view for the board
With Guardian
Established submetering operator
- Submetering since 1983 across many property types
- Water, gas, and electric submetering
- Ratio (RUBS) billing where units cannot be metered
Billing and collection
Turning one master water bill into fair per-unit charges — and actually getting paid.
With Fourplex
Read, bill, and collect on autopay
- Set up autopay once — it covers dues, trash, and utility billing in one place
- Residents use one login for water and HOA payments
- Funds go to your HOA's connected account
With Guardian
Read and bill
- Residents billed on their own utility statements
- Autopay availability depends on property size
- Separate from HOA dues and board tools
All-in-one vs a water-only service
What you get beyond meters and statements.
With Fourplex
Your whole HOA on one login
- Dues, trash billing, accounting, and financial reports
- Custom HOA website and a permanent HOA email address
- Documents, meetings, voting, and state compliance tracking
With Guardian
Utility cost recovery specialist
- Built for apartments, condo towers, and commercial portfolios
- Integrations with property-management software
- No HOA governance or dues tools
Which one is right for you?
Choose Fourplex if…
- You run a self-managed HOA, condo, or townhome community of any size
- You want water read, billed, and collected for less than $25 per unit
- You want owners to set up autopay once for dues, trash, and water
- You want an all-in-one solution covering all of your HOA's needs at a lower price
Choose Guardian if…
- You operate a large condo building, apartment complex, or commercial property
- You need gas or electric submetering, or ratio billing
- You use property-management software and only need utility billing
- You already have HOA software and want a water-only vendor
Moving from Guardian or another billing company
Fourplex can easily transfer your properties and meters from other billing companies. Reach out to our team to get started.
01
Reach out to our team
Share your properties, meters, billing cycle, and current contract terms.
02
We transfer your meters
We move your properties and meters over, commission gateways, and set your rates.
03
Owners set up autopay once
One autopay setup covers dues, trash, and water — owners keep one portal login.
A 4-unit HOA should not pay $25 per unit just to read and bill water. Fourplex reads, bills, and collects for less — and runs the rest of the HOA too.— Fourplex product team
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what boards ask before they switch.
Is Fourplex cheaper than Guardian for a small HOA?
Yes, for small communities. For a 4-unit HOA, Guardian quoted $25 per unit per month ($100/mo) in June 2026 to read and bill water, without autopay, on a 5-year contract. Fourplex is $49/mo ($12.25 per unit, or $11.23 billed yearly) on month-to-month terms to read, bill, and collect water, plus a full HOA management suite. Hardware and installation are quoted separately by both.
Does Guardian include autopay?
It depends on property size. The June 2026 quote for a 4-unit HOA did not include autopay. Fourplex includes autopay for every community: owners set it up once and it covers dues, trash, and utility billing in one place.
Does Fourplex use the same meter hardware?
Yes. Fourplex uses the same NextCentury metering hardware and sells it at a low price. Fourplex can easily transfer properties and meters from other billing companies — reach out to our team to get started.
When should we choose Guardian instead?
Large condo buildings, apartment complexes, and commercial properties — especially ones that need gas or electric submetering, ratio billing, or property-management integrations — are a better fit for Guardian.
What else does Fourplex include besides water?
Dues billing and owner autopay (ACH or card); Water submetering: read, bill, and collect; Trash billing and shared-bill splits; HOA accounting: payment ledger, linked bank balances, P&L and balance-sheet reports; Granular water usage reporting and trends for every unit; Custom HOA website and a permanent HOA email address; Documents, meetings, voting, ARC and maintenance requests; State compliance tracking in all 50 US states.
Bill water fairly, for less.
Start managing your HOA on Fourplex — plans from $29/month for small, self-managed communities.
Get started