How exactly do you split utilities with one meter + oil tank?

Question

I have a single family house where there is a 3 bedroom apartment on the first floor and a 2 bedroom apartment in the basement. I don’t want any of the utilities to be included, I’d like tenants to pay for the utilities. How could I split this up so that one tenant doesn’t feel like he’s paying for the others utilities?

Mike McCarthy · Answer

@William O'Donnell look up RUBS. It’s a mathematical formula based on number of people, square footage, etc. It can work in some cases, but make sure it’s legal in your state.

Cleanest way is to add another electric meter... but obviously isn’t always possible.

Bill O'Donnell · Answer

@William O'Donnell

You can have a sub meter installed with a separate breaker box. It sends power through a meter that you own between the boxes for each unit. You see how many kw were used by unit 2,and deduct from total kw on the bill. Split any fixed costs equally.

As for the oil, figure out the cubic footage of each, and split the cost on a per cubic foot basis..

I'm William O'Donnell too.

In fishkill ny, from Bronx ny, Tipperary ancestry... nice to meet you

Nathan Gesner · Answer

I take the previous year's total cost and divide it by 12 for a monthly average.

Split the average between the two units, taking into consideration:

• Square footage of each unit
• Number of occupants
• Appliances or fixtures

For example, two apartments that are both 1,000 sq.ft. One is occupied by a couple with two kids and includes a dishwasher and a washer/dryer. The second apartment has two adults, no dishwasher, and no washer/dryer.

There's no set formula but you can get a pretty good guesstimate of what each unit's share will be. Add that to the monthly rent and you're done.

Final note: after calculating each unit's share, I bump it 10-15% to cover overages. Tenants tend to use more when they aren't actually looking at the bill.

Pablo Cisneros · Answer

you may have to include it just hike the rent to cover the highest month usage of the year..

How exactly do you split utilities with one meter + oil tank?

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