Cleveland, OH Utilities

[Carolina Chang]

Greetings BiggerPockets community! I'm new to the REI world and I'm very excited to get my first rental property. What do tenants pay for and what do landlords pay for in terms of utilities for Cleveland, OH?

[Ben Smalley]

Ohio law states that if there is a single meter serving multiple units you cannot prorate it. This is the case with many 2-4 family properties as well as commercial buildings. You can add a "water charge" into the rent amount though. 

This also varies by city. Euclid and Cleveland Heights have expensive water bills but Cleveland seems to have higher sewer bills. 

Note too that some older MF buildings have one central hot water tank and/or boiler. You would also pay the gas bill on those.