All Forum Posts by: Nick Jensen

Thanks for your feedback Mehran. I didn't think #3 would fly. I also get what you're saying about the awkwardness of showing the tenant the util. bill every month and asking for their portion.

Still, I feel uneasy giving free rein to the tenant to use resources without any cost. It seems there'd be too much incentive to leave lights on and crank up the heat during winter.

Has anyone else successfully done something like option #2?

So my wife and I came up with this kooky idea to build a cottage in the backyard in which we'd live so we can rent out our main house. The main house is 2br/1ba 970sqft. The cottage is 250sqft.

We're not quite sure how to deal with the gas and electric bill. Here are some options:

1 - Gas and electric is included in rent

2 - We split the bill (for example: tenant pays 2/3, we pay 1/3)

3 - Tenant pays total bill

#1 doesn't sound appealing. We use VERY little gas and electricity, and we're afraid a typical tenant will be cranking out the watts and therms. #2 sounds good, but we're not sure if this kind of thing is normal/legal in California. #3 sounds even better, but not sure the tenant would like paying for us and the whole potential for legal issues.

What option would you choose and why?