Who pay's utilities while in construction?

[Fernando Tello]

Hey BP Community,
Is the first time I am doing a multifamily ground up construction. I hired a GC to manage the build out, but there has been no consensus on who is responsible for the utility payments (Water and Energy). 

Now, I know someone could say the cost should be "negligible" couple of hundred dollars a month, in comparison to the whole buildout budget, but still I do want to know what are the best practices out there. The contract I have in place is a fixed sum contract, and in the breakdown there are no utilities. (Didn't catch it on time). 

Thanks for sharing your experience! 

[Bruce Woodruff]

The Owner should be paying the utilities unless otherwise specified in advance. I mean, it's your property......

At least that's how I always handled it....

[Jamie Hora]

If it is not in the contract, the contractor has the right to believe they are not responsible for it.