Best way to pass on the water bill to inherited tenants?

[Eric Meinnert]

My wife and I recently purchased 2 multifamily locations, with a total of 6 units. We had signed all the tenants to a 6 month lease initially, and we currently pay water. The water bill per quarter averages anywhere between $20-$60/month/unit, depending upon who is in the unit. This obviously cuts into our cash flow, and when we sign new leases with the tenants in the spring, we'd love to pass that bill on to them. I was wondering what your thoughts are on how to do this respectfully. Is it ok to keep rent where it is, just add water this next cycle, do you offer a discount on rent for them taking the water? Are there other more creative options? I'm curious what others have done and what you all think? 

Thanks, Eric

[Patricia Steiner]

Look into a submeter solution.  It avoids fights/challenges over the water allocation and we actually saw water consumption drop by 30% once it was installed. The new submeters are wireless and can also help detect leaks.  I never advocate the landlord paying for something that is consumed by tenants because there is no motivation for conservation - and therefore, including "it" in the rent will never be a good solution.  Equally dividing the bill or allocating per person per unit brings a whole lot of drama.  

Best...