1st Rental? Duplex with combined utilities? (Dayton, OH)

[John Weis]

TL;DR: How do we charge for utilities? Do we fold them into the rent price? Is this a sign that we should walk?

Problem: My wife and I are considering purchasing our first rental property: a top/bottom duplex. Our realtor was assured by the seller's agent that all the utilities were already split; that was a lie. There is one gas meter, one electrical panel, one water meter and one water heater. There are two thermostats, two air-conditioners, and two furnaces. 

The house has never been an official rental before: it was owned by a priest who sub-letted the other portion to a friend. Therefore, we have no profit & loss statements, and I do not believe that we can get previous utility bills. How do we go about estimating utility cost?

Background: A few things make this attractive to us. Both the seller's agent and a few neighbors have told us that the seller is hungry for an offer. The house has been for sale since last October, with very little foot traffic. This house is on the same block, same side of the street, 5 doors down from us: it is close enough to keep an eye on it.