Rent questions...?

Question

Does the price of rent include electricity? heat? water? etc? How much more do I have to figure on paying on top of rent price?

Answer 1

Simply ask your landlord, the person who is renting you the apartment, what utilities are included in the rent you will be paying. Most renters pay the heat cost if it is a multi-residential building.
Because renters often take advantage of utilities by leaving the electricity on all night, using more water than needed and turning up the heat as high as it will go until they are uncomfortable, most landlords hold you personally responsible for the electric bill, cable and internet bill and telephone bill with an occasional landlord that will pay the city water,sewage and garbage bill.
If this is a house you are renting, beware on what the utility bills you are responsible for will be. Go to the neighborhood where the house is situated and ask some of your future neighbors what their bill is and they will more than likely be happy to tell you what their utility bills are because prices have really skyrocketed everywhere around the country the last few years. Please be careful because if your bills are not managed right, they can very well exceed what you're paying the landlord for rent. Try a mortgage for deed to buy the property if this is the case.

Answer 2

That would depend on the place. Some include water and/or heat. Usually when you go and take a tour (or call and ask questions) you can get an estimate of additional bills from them, because the amounts vary a lot depending on size of the place, location, what is used for heating, etc.

Answer 3

Rent sometimes includes water and sewer, very rarely anything else, unless it is in a building with a central steam plant, and then heat is included. What you pay in utilities depends on where you are in the country, how warm or cold you can stand it, and how well-insulated the place is.