Water Bill for House-Hack

[Michael Fundaro]

Hi all, My girlfriend and I are closing on our first house hack in two weeks. We are planning out the terms of our lease and are deciding on whether or not to include water in rent. The property is a duplex on one water meter. Water will be about $120/month, we got an estimate from the water company. There are currently tenants that plan to stay. The tricky part is that they are friends of the seller and are paying well below average rent for the area. We want to raise rent to a fair market value, and also tack on another 50-60 dollars and include water. We're just worried that it will be too much of a jump for them and be left with vacancy right off the bat. So what have some of you house hackers done for the water bill? Seems like it would make the most sense to include it. Thanks!