Question on Asking Seller for Utility Bills

[Frank Gucciardo]

Hi All,

I'm currently looking at a 5 family (with potential for a 6th on the top floor) and two commercial storefronts (1 restaurant and 1 clothing store) in my town.  I'll come back with the numbers later.  What I'm looking to find out it is - would it be acceptable to ask the sellers agent to produce the last years worth of gas and electric bills?  If not, what is a better way to validate these #'s.

Right now the building is partially sub-metered and she is not charging the tenants for any utilities (Gas, water, or electric).  I don't think I can sub-meter the water and will have to live with that.  The Gas and Electric is my principal concern.  I will sub-meter the electric for sure.  The problem with the gas is that the entire building is run off of 1 furnace so that may not fly.  If I can recover the electric cost then there is tons of value here (electric is expensive in my area).

Thanks in advance for any advice or past experiences.