Should some utilities be included in the rent?

[Brent Moss]

Hello all:

Some duplex and other small multi family units have some of the utilities bundled together (in our case it's sewer & water), these are paid, in many cases by the building owner, and included as part of the rent.

A few years back we figured out what this was costing us each month, and started billing this to each tenant. I was hesitant at first, but found that it was very easy. When renting out a unit, we advertise the monthly rent, and when someone is interested, we let them know that the sewer and water portion of the utilities was prorated, and paid directly to us.

When looking at our competition, it's amazing how many landlords include the water & sewer with the rent. With us making this change, we were able to recoup $2800/yr, and it hasn't seemed to make a difference in being able to rent units.

Hope there is someone els that can benefit from this.

Kind Regards,

Brent