Last year I had a gas bill for $1400. That was almost one-third of my entire rent for that property for the month. This year, however, I could get bills that are even higher. Meteorologists are predicting the coldest and snowiest winter for the Northeast in years.

In this property, I currently pay for heat (natural gas) and water/sewer. The water/sewer bills aren’t actually that high around here, although they are the lion’s share of utility costs for many property owners in Western states. Regardless of location, however, utility costs are killing landlords. They are rising much faster than inflation. Rents, on the other hand, are rising much more slowly than inflation, if at all.