She broke up with him 3 months ago and has been paying for the rent and utilities by herself because he's now bipolar, lost his job and probably on drugs she says.

Hi Guys,When analyzing a rental property (multi-family properties to be specific) how do you get an accurate number for utility costs?

What's interesting is that the cash used/traced will be utilized for non-rental purposes.

I would ask the owner for the age of the roof, age of utilities (water heater, boiler/oil tank), and ask if/when the most recent upgrades were made to the property.Of course, take the responses with a grain of salt.

@Eric JansonThis is one of a number of strategies in which the underlying theme is to sell, rent or lease the property for more than market value, or more precisely more than cash market value, by utilizing “no qualifying” or “alt qualifying”financing.

Hello,My apartment has been vacant last couple of months.The first vacant the electric utility bill came around $150 and I noticed that the central AC furnace was on so I turned it off immediately but to my shock the second vacant month the bill came around $250.Barring a refrigerator nothing is on in the apartment, my apartment utility bill is lower than that where the appliances including central ac run frequently.

The percentage of credit utilization is one of the biggest components of the score.

I also received a copy of the lease which seemed very basic but had the terms, security deposit, rent, and states tenant is responsible for utilities, Lawn care/snow removal.

Also, there were some costs that I had not figured in which were seller paid utilities on some of the units and dumpster fees.

When I have rented to folks in this situation, it's one lease that everyone signs (and everyone gets a copy), tenants are responsible for setting up and paying the utilities, the lease CLEARLY states no additional folks can reside there (it's not unusual to have boyfriends/girlfriends/friends who have been kicked out by parents or lost their rentals show up and start living on a couch) and an early buyout clause in the lease (typically 30 days notice and two months worth of rent) since sometimes these type of situations do not work out.