Free utilities?

[Jared Christensen]

As I do research on owning rental properties, I'm trying to figure out how so many of the rental property owners in my area are managing to make a profit while offering free heat and water to their tenants. After doing the math, unless you own the building outright with zero debt, I just don't see how you could be making very much. On a 2 bedroom apartment, heat and water could easily be $100/month per unit, especially if the windows are old and the furnace is not newer.

How are these guys making money? Or is that the reason so many apartment buildings end up for sale; the owners went broke giving everything away for free?

[Joel Owens]

I will not buy another apartment building where I pay utilities unless I get the property for next to nothing.

Landlord paid utility is the worst cash flow killer out there period. Tenants use about 30 to 35% more on average when they do not pay. They also tend to not report leaks as they do not care about the bill to you the landlord.

If the area has it customary that the landlord pays utility then spending tons of money to separate it out will do nothing for you and tenants will move down the street. If you just have an older building that hasn't been converted yet but other buildings in the area the tenants pay utilities then it can make sense to convert over. Anything unpredictable in costs for the future you want to unload onto the tenants if possible so your cash flow is protected.