Maybe its the Marine in me but what Sun Tzu wrote in Ch 6 kind of applies here:"tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.

I have had tenants unplug the fridge and leave the doors shut, which basically causes the fridge to smell horrible as the moisture allows mold to grow.I would turn off the water inside the property, but tell the landlord you are doing this.

A friend's parents own a triplex in the same town, and they said their water bill is $150/month, so I'm assuming $100/month for this duplex.

A friend's parents own a triplex in the same town, and they said their water bill is $150/month, so I'm assuming $100/month for this duplex.

I suggest starting by either calling the district court system for the jurisdiction in which your rental is located or visit their website to find out more about the lawsuit process. 

I got a notice from Milwaukee Water telling me that the water use for this quarter was 4 times higher than 'normal'. 

It had about two inches of standing water before we bought it, but the water has since then receded. 

I haven't driven one of these neighborhoods in summertime yet, but now you have me curious :)  In this part of the country, we don't get near the amount of rain in summer than Seattle gets, and watering the lawn gets super-expensive unless you put in a separate meter. 

I would also add as long as no major unexpected repairs come up in case the A.C. or hot water heater were to die.That should hold them short term.

Currently, we've decided to split the cost of a new septic system and still waiting for engineering plans to come back.