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Utility bills for basement apartment in lakewood



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tryingmybest100




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 12:29 am
Hi,
I’m newly married and have been paying an awful lot on utilities - gas, electric, and water. I live in a simple basement apartment and we are very careful with everything.
What is the average a couple in a basement apartment in Lakewood pay?
I’m paying around $70 water, $60 electric, and in the winter, $95 gas.
It seems awfully high to me so curious what everyone else is paying?
Also curious if it’s possible my landlords make the cheshbon different from other landlords?
They have us paying a % for all fees included in each bill.
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amother
Pink


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 12:34 am
We paid 1/3 of all utility bills except electric for which there was a meter
Don’t remember amounts but what you’re paying doesn’t sound high to me
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amother
Orange


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 1:05 am
I have separate bills from my landlord so I know mine are correct. Gas is what varies the most and causes the biggest diff when we use a lot of heat
My total gas electric and water can be $160 in the fall or spring with no heat and little AC. Or it can be $220 like now during February.
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 3:04 am
...

Last edited by amother on Tue, Feb 11 2020, 3:13 am; edited 1 time in total
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amother
Lemon


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 3:08 am
tryingmybest100 wrote:
Hi,
I’m newly married and have been paying an awful lot on utilities - gas, electric, and water. I live in a simple basement apartment and we are very careful with everything.
What is the average a couple in a basement apartment in Lakewood pay?
I’m paying around $70 water, $60 electric, and in the winter, $95 gas.
It seems awfully high to me so curious what everyone else is paying?
Also curious if it’s possible my landlords make the cheshbon different from other landlords?
They have us paying a % for all fees included in each bill.

You have your answer, obviously. There are no separate utilities for your apartment, so you are paying a percentage of the entire house. If they use a lot of electricity, gas, water, etc. you are paying a percentage of that. You being careful to shut off the lights won't make much of a dent if they are home the whole day and must heat and keep the whole house light.

For comparison, in a different city, we are paying in the winter $500+ a month for electricity and heat, and about $180 quarterly on water. But I am home the whole day and need the house warm and well lit.

I don't know what is normal in Lakewood, but you are probably overpaying for your utilities. However, that's how it works if there is no way to separate expenses.
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 3:09 am
If your rent is decent, it makes sense.
You’re probably not really using that exact amount in utilities but it doesn’t matter.
We are landlords. Originally we installed separate meters for the basement. Since they weren’t installed by let’s say the electric company we had to figure out the meter reading ourselves. It was such a pain! Eventually we just told our tenants that we would add $125 to the rent each month for utilities. I guess sometimes they use more, sometimes less... hopefully it evens out. Our basement apartment is quite large...


Last edited by amother on Tue, Feb 11 2020, 3:10 am; edited 1 time in total
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 3:09 am
Double post
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stillnewlywed




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 11:40 am
My 2 bedroom basement has separate meters, so our bills are accurate.
We pay around 40$ for electricity, $80 for water and gas can vary from $30 to $100 depending on the weather!
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tryingmybest100




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 1:26 pm
amother [ Lemon ] wrote:
You have your answer, obviously. There are no separate utilities for your apartment, so you are paying a percentage of the entire house. If they use a lot of electricity, gas, water, etc. you are paying a percentage of that. You being careful to shut off the lights won't make much of a dent if they are home the whole day and must heat and keep the whole house light.

For comparison, in a different city, we are paying in the winter $500+ a month for electricity and heat, and about $180 quarterly on water. But I am home the whole day and need the house warm and well lit.

I don't know what is normal in Lakewood, but you are probably overpaying for your utilities. However, that's how it works if there is no way to separate expenses.



Thank you. Just to clarify I do have seperate meters. But my landlords cheshbon the price per kwh and per gallon according to the overall expenses of the entire service
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tryingmybest100




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 1:27 pm
stillnewlywed wrote:
My 2 bedroom basement has separate meters, so our bills are accurate.
We pay around 40$ for electricity, $80 for water and gas can vary from $30 to $100 depending on the weather!


This is very helpful thank you!!
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amother
Lavender


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 1:58 pm
We dont have separate meters so we just pay a flat $150 extra every month. Speaking to other people who do have separate meters thats what it costs them - around $150 a month
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stillnewlywed




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 2:16 pm
amother [ Lavender ] wrote:
We dont have separate meters so we just pay a flat $150 extra every month. Speaking to other people who do have separate meters thats what it costs them - around $150 a month


$150 is less than what most people with separate meters pay.
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stillnewlywed




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 2:17 pm
Also - there is a monthly meter fee on our water bill every month because we have a separate meter. So paying a percentage of the landlords bills should come out less because you are avoiding that fee.
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amother
Cyan


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 4:01 pm
stillnewlywed wrote:
Also - there is a monthly meter fee on our water bill every month because we have a separate meter. So paying a percentage of the landlords bills should come out less because you are avoiding that fee.

How much is the fee?
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amother
Blush


 

Post Tue, Feb 11 2020, 7:23 pm
Landlord here
We have separate meters but it was a pain to figure out each month. It usually averaged about $150 per month. So when our old tenants left and our new tenants moved in, we charged flat rate of $150 per month instead of figuring the numbers. (2 bedroom1 bathroom apartment).
Problem with the flat fee is that they aren’t careful with closing lights and heat. Sometimes they’re away for the week and the heat in blasting away full force 24/7! (I’ll call them and let them know I’m going I to close it! Till they get back and turn it back in) The tenants that paid per usage were more careful.
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LakewoodMom2




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Feb 17 2020, 10:14 pm
I live in a basement in Lakewood too. We have separate meters for water and electric and gas I pay 1/3.
My numbers are pretty similar to what you mentioned.
Utilities aint cheap
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amother
Brown


 

Post Mon, Feb 17 2020, 11:18 pm
I live in a 2 bedroom bsmt with seperate meters. was the biggest pain to figure out the numbers each month and even with us being SO careful it always ranged closer to $300! we just moved and warned everyone that came to look at the apt to request a flat rate. most landlords that charge flat rate do ti for $150-$200 and it comes out much more worth it a, no taking down nubmers each month. b, no doing math with the bills, c. cheaper.

I really dont' think the meters are accurate. like when I had a baby and was away for 3 weeks the bills were still over $200!
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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Mon, Feb 17 2020, 11:18 pm
I live in a 4 bedroom / 2 bathroom bsmnt.
Was originally asked to pay 150$ a nonth ffor utilities( only gas and electric)
Water we have separate meters.
But when the landlord heard how many children we have , he asked for 175$.
Which he says is 1/3 of his bill averaged out over a year..
We are generous about the electricity..
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