Duplex, can I bill back water to the tenants, single meter? KCMO

[Neel P.]

Hi all,

I'm evaluating a duplex deal right now in Kansas City, Missouri. It's my first ever multi-family deal, so learning a lot right now.

1. The broker says that tenants pay gas & electricity, and the owner pays water, sewage, trash. Is this normal?
2. The water meter is a single meter. The broker is claiming that this can be billed back to the tenants. Is this true? I can't figure out the exact answer for whether its legal to bill back water if its a single meter.
3. If its a single meter, can I change this to individually metered? Or is the cost for doing this typically a lot? This is an older building (1954).

Thank you for any insight!