I'm skeptical but I'm willing to test the water to something small first.

I estimate high of what the bill would be and put it on their lease, I have not had any issues this way and if the water bill goes up, I will increase on the next lease. 

I have yet to see code violations, water shut offs, and fire damaged properties. 

@Bijan SabbaghiYou don’t that’s the challenge - we pull data from several places as a note holder and for example and currently we see less than 20% actually going to foreclosure as most are ending in bankruptcy right now due to borrowers equityThe ones that are under water are typically going back to the bank.Best bet is to find properties where deceased or maybe divorced to get higher chance of actually going to foreclosure

While this is less tax efficient, it would be less work / less stress.

Welcome to TN, the water is warm. 

That really is the only way to have an efficient professional partnership - total open communication whether the conversation is pleasant or sour. 

You may need to lower the rent you are asking for by a bit, but it is way better to have a tenant using less water because they're the ones paying for it, than having them run the water for hours since they aren't the ones paying for it.

I'm looking at MFH $450k and up in the Ohio markets (Dayton, Cleveland and Columbus).Cash:- Higher CoC returns- No risk to being having negative cash flow with a loan (excluding capex)- Buying/negotiating power with speed of transaction - No interest payments- No risk of foreclosureFinanced:- Possible exponential equity growth - Growth of initial investment is leveraged ~4x and most likely beat inflation in a decent area- Mortgage interest tax deductions - Better financial efficiency from more doors- Better diversification across more properties Are there other considerations I'm missing? 

Your attorney or CPA should be able to create tax efficient structure for you.To avoid this, keep management and decision-making localized to Alabama, and consult a CPA or attorney to ensure compliance with both states' regulations.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.