Renting house - keeping garage with electric?

[Judy Lipinski]

We plan on renting a property but keeping the garage available for our own storage.

The garage has electric, just two light switches for inside and out.

The tenants will still have off street parking for their own use. 

We are thinking of rewiring to add an outlet for the garage.

Electric will be in tenants name. 

We wont use it often or much - do we need to put this on a separate electric? 

Can we just indicate the garage will being used by us in the lease agreement?

Thanks,

Judy

[Joe Splitrock]

@Judy Lipinski I agree with @Colleen F. that renting a property with garage is easier. It also commands higher rents. A single car garage should get as much rent as a single storage unit.

If you use the garage, I would not run separate electrical service. The minimum monthly charge will be more than an entire years usage, assuming you are just using lights. I would install LED bulbs to keep your usage very low. If you ran an LED bulb for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it would use less than $20 in electricity. If you are only turning it on a few hours a month, we are talking pennies of electricity.

I have a clause in my lease that states landlord can use power for maintenance, repair and improvements. I added it after a tenant complained about the roofing company using "his electricity" to re-shingle the house.