First Investment - Duplex without separate meters. What to do?

[Braden Kyle]

Hey Everyone,

I am just in the middle of purchasing my first investment property in Ontario, Canada. The property is a legal non-conforming duplex that does NOT have separate meters for utilities. 

My question is, from your experience, should I be making the tenants pay their own utilities, or should I bake everything into the rent and make it all inclusive?

If I were to make them pay their own utilities, what would your recommendations be to implement this and avoid conflict between the tenants?

One unit is a 2 bedroom + bonus loft space on the upstairs(larger unit) and the other is a main floor 1 bedroom unit with use of the whole basement. Both units have separate washer/dryer. The main floor unit controls the thermostat for the whole house(another potential issue)

Just want to get your thoughts on the best way to tackle this.

Look forward to your responses.

Thank you.