Do the landlords commonly pay the water bill in the Ohio markets

[Clarence McClain]

Looking forward to purchasing my first Cleveland property and I needed to get a deal on what expenses are expected from a landlord perspective

[Brandon Sturgill]

@Clarence McClain this is a municipal question, not a state question...bottom line is that the cost should always be passed back to your tenant...even if sub-metering is not in place....irrespective of the size of the property.

Water/sewer is a sensitive issue because back bills result in a lien against the property...so, municipalities want owners to be responsible. Some locations require an affidavit or business agreement to place water in a tenants name...like Columbus, for example. The downside is that as a landlord, you will not be aware of the tenant stops paying and in comes the lien in your name on your property...and this gets paid by you...

Just keep in mind this is a local issues...most of the time you will deal with the city, but sometimes its a township or village...or even the county. Every local level utility provider does things under their own rules.

There is no standard in Ohio law on who is responsible for what exact services...you certainly have obligations, but one of them is not paying for your tenants water usage.