Morgantown Multifamily Utility Checklist

Before relying on utility costs for a Morgantown duplex, triplex, or small apartment building, make a utility map for the property. List every meter, the space it serves, the name on the account, who pays under each lease, and what must happen at closing. This catches a common source of confusion: the building may have several units without having a separate account or meter for every service.

The work is practical. It helps you compare the listing description with the building that is actually in front of you. It also gives the lender, inspector, attorney, insurer, and utility providers better questions to answer before a deadline gets tight.

This is a property review framework, not legal, tax, lending, engineering, or investment advice. A qualified professional should interpret leases, utility rules, building systems, and any proposed changes.

Key takeaways

• Match every visible meter to a unit, common area, or shared system.
• Compare account records, leases, and bills instead of assuming they describe the same setup.
• Confirm the provider for the exact address. A Morgantown mailing address does not identify every utility or governing jurisdiction.
• Plan account transfers and owner-held service before closing so the property does not lose needed service between occupants.

Start with the address and lawful unit count

Confirm the parcel, jurisdiction, and number of recognized rental units before mapping utilities. The City of Morgantown says rental property within its corporate limits must be registered and is inspected once every three years. Its rental information page also explains how to ask Code Enforcement about registration, compliance, occupancy type, and allowed occupancy.

Compare those records with the assessor parcel, the physical layout, current leases, and each service entrance. If the records identify two units but the building appears to have three sets of living facilities or three electric panels, do not explain the difference yourself. Record it as an open question for the city, the seller, the inspector, and the professionals advising the transaction.

Utility evidence cannot prove that a unit is lawful. It can show where the documents and the building need a closer comparison.

Build one utility map for the property

Use a separate line for every account and meter. A useful entry includes:

• the service type and provider;
• the meter or account identifier shown on available records;
• the physical meter location;
• the unit, common area, or equipment it appears to serve;
• the current account holder;
• the lease language that assigns payment responsibility;
• the bills supplied for review; and
• the transfer, continuation, or final-reading step needed at closing.

Photograph meter locations with the seller's permission, but keep account numbers and tenant information out of a general photo folder. Label the photos by location, not by an occupant's name.

Water, wastewater, and stormwater

Do not assume that one water bill per building means each unit uses the same amount. Do not assume that several units have several MUB meters either. Ask MUB to confirm the service configuration for the exact property and compare that response with the seller's bills.

MUB's customer applications page includes residential and commercial service forms. It also lists a landlord agreement that keeps service active between occupants, plus a form to discontinue that agreement. Those are different choices with different handoff consequences. Confirm which form applies and whether an existing agreement will continue, end, or need replacement.

The private side of the system matters too. MUB's frequently asked questions explains that the utility owns lines to the meter or property border, while the owner is responsible for the service line on the property. Have an inspector or appropriate contractor trace accessible piping, shutoffs, water heaters, and any shared equipment. The utility map should say where provider responsibility ends and owner responsibility begins.

Electric service

Record every exterior meter, interior panel, and common-area circuit you can identify without opening equipment that requires a qualified professional. Then ask the inspector to verify what each panel and meter serves. Exterior lighting, laundry equipment, basement receptacles, pumps, or detached structures may be tied to a unit account or to an owner-held account.

FirstEnergy's service transfer guidance asks for the service address and allows a meter number or current occupant's name to help identify a move-in service request. For a multifamily property, use the unit designation and meter identifier shown in provider records. A street address by itself may not distinguish each service point.

If the provider, service point, or meter assignment is unclear, contact the utility before treating any bill as evidence for a particular unit.

Gas service

A visible gas meter does not show which furnace, water heater, range, or other equipment it supplies. Trace that connection through the inspection and compare it with the lease and account records. Some buildings may have individual heating equipment but a shared water heater. Others may have no active gas service.

Hope Gas instructs customers starting service to provide the complete address and either the current occupant's name or meter number when service is active. Its start, stop, or transfer page also notes that access may be required for a meter inside a building, behind a barrier, or otherwise blocked. Identify access needs before choosing the transfer date.

Other recurring services

Add trash, recycling, internet, exterior lighting, and any contracted utility or fuel service to the map when the property has them. These may not use permanent meters, but the leases, invoices, service areas, containers, and cancellation terms still need to agree. Separate a property-level contract from a service that each occupant arranges independently.

Reconcile the map with leases and bills

The utility map is incomplete until the documents match it. For each unit, read the lease language next to the related bills and service records. Note who is named on the account, which services the lease says are included, and whether a shared charge is described clearly enough for an attorney to review.

Ask for the available billing history rather than a single recent bill. A short sample can miss vacancy periods, seasonal heating, leaks, account changes, or a service that moved between an occupant and the owner. Keep the original statements intact and make a separate worksheet for your analysis.

When numbers disagree, preserve the disagreement. For example, a seller summary may assign water to occupants while the MUB record shows one owner-held account. That does not tell you the legal or financial answer. It tells you which account, lease provision, and payment history need to be reconciled before you use the expense figure.

This utility review belongs beside the broader Morgantown rental property due diligence guide, which covers registration, zoning, condition, leases, expenses, and the operating plan.

Inspect shared systems before changing the plan

A shared service is not automatically a defect. It is a fact that affects operations, lease review, maintenance, and any future renovation plan.

Ask the inspector and appropriate licensed contractors to identify common equipment and the controls available to each unit. Useful review points include water heaters, heating equipment, laundry connections, pumps, exterior fixtures, shutoffs, panels, and access to meters. Confirm whether a service interruption for one repair would affect another unit.

If you are considering separate meters, new service, or a different billing arrangement, treat that as a proposed project. Obtain provider guidance, a qualified scope, permit information when applicable, and a written cost before placing the change in a financial plan. The current setup does not prove that a conversion is feasible.

Turn the findings into a closing plan

Once the utility map is complete, create a dated handoff list. Confirm final readings where available, the seller's stop dates, the buyer's start dates, owner-held accounts, landlord agreements, access appointments, deposits, and the person responsible for each call or form.

Schedule requests as soon as the closing date is stable, then reconfirm them if the date moves. Do not cancel existing service early. An empty building may still need power, heat, water, pumps, or exterior fixtures operating during the transfer.

Keep provider confirmations with the closing records. After closing, compare the first complete billing cycle with the utility map. A new account description, unexpected common-area load, or missing service point is easier to investigate while the transaction documents and contacts are still organized.

Final utility due diligence checklist

• Parcel, jurisdiction, rental registration, and unit count were checked.
• Every visible meter and panel was labeled by location and apparent service area.
• Providers confirmed each service point for the exact address.
• Leases, account holders, and supplied bills were compared unit by unit.
• Shared equipment and common-area service were reviewed during the inspection.
• Owner-held accounts and landlord agreements were identified.
• Proposed meter or service changes have provider and contractor input.
• Closing dates, access needs, final readings, and account transfers are assigned.
• The first complete post-closing bills will be checked against the map.

If you are reviewing a specific duplex or small apartment building, contact Michelle with the address and the utility question that is still open. She can help keep the records, inspection findings, and transaction dates attached to the property decision you are making.