All Forum Posts by: Lee V.

how has it worked out over the years?? 

for all those wondering I got a quote to do separate water meter and electric meter. It's not as simple as installing a "meter". You have to hire an electrician to rewire the whole house so the other unit has completely separate breaker box and electric lines. The cost to do this was quoted at $8,000

For water, you neeed completely separate new water sewer lines. They will have to dig if necessary, cost was quoted at $6,000 to do separate water meter with new lines. 

It's not cheap at all. 

What do you guys think of submetering?? Does anyone have any experience with this?

What happens if a tenant claims they didn't use that much? 

One of my rear homes is about 470 sq ft and the other is about 750 sq ft. How can I split the bills evenly? Should it be 50/50 or 60/40? 

I do foresee some issues with doing this.. especially if one tenant goes out of town for a few days and doesn't use as much electricity 

these are brand new units so they do not have any useage history unfortunately 

anyone know how much it is to separate the electric meters?? I don't mind paying the water for them. Both units have only electric and water. No gas 

I cannot afford to separate the meters.. I just don't have the funds to do so.. what are some other recommendations ?

I own a triplex. I live in the main house up front which has its own water and electric meter. 

I have two small homes in the back that share a water and electric meter. How do I handle utilities for these homes since they share a meter?? Should I ask the two tenants to split the bills down the middle?? Who's name would the utilities be under? Do I put it in my name and have tenants pay me for the utilities? I'm so confused. 

Located in Houston tx

hi all,

Which websites would you recommend to get the best quality tenants? Craigslist is pretty hit or miss. Is Zillow a good resource? Are the paid websites better than the free ones??

ryan,

What else can you prohibit it in an owner occupied investment? I'm currently in the same situation and live in one of my units? Do all the laws apply here? Such as racial profiling, not renting to people with kids, etc?

Hi all

I just purchased a triplex and am living in the main home. My two rear homes are for rent. Homes do not share any walls

Could you guys give me some general advice on how to make this successful with no headaches or drama? Should I say I'm the landlord? What are some other common mistakes to avoid ??