How to handle water bill?

[Tyler D.]

I'm working on getting my first property ready for rent in west Cleveland, and I'm wondering how to handle the water bill. I know in some cities it's paid by the tenant but in others it's paid by the landlord. How is it handled here? If you pay water, do you bill it to your tenants?

[Gwen Fyfe]

It's really the landlord's preference, but the water bill is the one thing that the landlord can be chased for if the tenant doesn't pay it, so most landlords prefer to handle it themselves.

Most of my rentals are in Bedford, which has an astronomical city-imposed $52 minimum water charge per unit per month. I pay it, and I bill the tenants for anything that's over the minimum. It really takes a lot of water usage to go over the minimum. Best of all worlds for me - I know it's being paid, I've got a consistent charge to budget for, and the tenants still have motivation to let me know that the toilet's running.