Duplex Water Metering

[Art Maydan]

I bought a duplex that was a gut rehab and I was told everything is metered separately, and the gas and electricity are. I got the first water bill and it’s $900 for 6 months. I called and they said that if I get a bi-annual bill, it’s not metered. My lease states that tenant pays all own utilities, so I’d like to have both units metered separately. But if there’s no meter, then I don’t know if the piping is split and I assume that would be expensive to do. I didn’t see a water meter on the exterior of the building, but I read that they could be internal. I don’t know what to look for.

• Is there a way to know for sure whether the property is set up to be metered as a duplex?
• How much would it cost to have piping split?
• If I decide not to split it, should I just get 1 meter since it’ll still reduce the overall bill and increase rent next time?

Thank you!