Deciding whether to separately meter water in a Multifamily

[Cassidy Burns]

Hi All,

I wanted to get a feed started regarding opinions on the pros and cons of taking a multifamily building, in my case 4 units, that is currently on one water line and separating each individual unit.  The current owner is paying the water bill each month (2016 Expenses: $1,440).  I called the local water company and he quoted me around $4,000 to add all the meters but says it may take more construction than necessary, even requiring some walls to be taken down.  The building currently has 3 tenants, 1 vacant unit. 

My question is, are there specific more cost efficient ways to separate these?  Or would you leave it as is and when you take over the building, individually bill each unit for usage?  

Thanks in advance!