4-Plex on same Water Meter

[Rita Merlo]

I am buying my first multi-unit property; a 4 plex in Texas. There is only 1 water meter for the whole place, so the previous landlord has been paying the water bill. Water bill is about $150-$200 a month. Going forward, I do not want to pay the water bill. Any ideas on what would work best for this situation? Would I just make the property manager split the water bill between the 4 units (perhaps based on square footage)? Is there some device I could buy that separately meters the water usage? Should I charge a flat- fee for water? Just raise the rent? Would really appreciate your thoughts on this!