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it's not uncommon for heating costs to not be included in your rent. this really depends on the type of heat though -- my gas bills for forced air heat ran up to $100 in the winter, yours could be more (I kept it fairly cold).

I have never heard of a single landlord charging for water. find one who doesn't.

I live in a two bedroom apartment that is the back of a house - 3 walls are exterior with windows on all sides. Our windows are not new and our place is very ineffecient. So this is probably a worst case scenario - our gas for 2008 was $1316 for the year. We don't pay for water.

If there is a specific apartment you're interested in, you can usually call the gas company and find out what it cost to heat the place last year.

I think most landlords mean that your gas bill will cover both the heat and your hot water heater, not the actual water service. We do the People's Gas payment plan so we don't get zapped with huge bills in the winter - $109 a month or $1308 a year. It's been accurate for our usage. We have a 700 sf 2 bedroom with forced air.

I'm writing about a Portland rather than Chicago experience, so it's not exactly what you wanted to know, but I discovered I was in charge of paying the water bill--which wasn't cheap. It's a necessary expense for landlords (and obviously a need for anyone living there), and I won't be surprised to see it passed on increasingly to tenants.

It's quite unusual to be charged for your water consumption and you should keep looking if that is truly the case. Normally, you pay for the gas that heats the water, not the water itself.

Generally, if the listing says that heat is included, it is because it is supplied by radiators controlled by your landlord. Keep in mind that the heat is included, not free -- it is built into the cost of the rent. Not all units with radiators have heat included.

If the unit has central heat/air with a thermostat you control, then you pay the bill.

I believe that, in the city of Chicago, if you ask the landlord for the average monthly utility costs, that they are legally required to get the proper documents from People's Gas or Com Ed for you.

Such a statement was attached to my last lease, and all three of my Chicago landlords made a point to tell me about utility costs up front. Anyone know anything more about this?

The upside about paying your own heat is controlling the temperature in your apartment. I've always had free heat in the past... and landlords who kept it at the minimum legal temperature, and turned it off completely at the first hint of spring. Which sucks when you have two kids freezing their tushes off. I'm happier now to pay for my own heat, even though it's a pretty penny more.

I've never had to pay for water or garbage as a renter. I agree with caligulala--do the People's Gas energy plan. You pay the same amount each month so you don't have that shocking $300 gas bill in the winter (which I have had). Unfortunately a lot of the buildings that are rentals don't have energy efficient newer windows so you lose a lot of heat in the winter.

@ caligulala and tcriss: The People's Gas energy plan is not necessarily right for everyone.

If you're someone who adheres very well to a budget and your energy use is very consistent from year to year, it is nice to keep a monthly cost at a consistent level. Go for it.

I prefer not to use the budgeted plan simply because I like to know exactly what I'm spending rather than an average estimate. It's the same reason I pay with debit rather than credit whenever I can: the money is spent and there is no question of my owing anything or accruing further charges. Done and done.

Additionally, if your gas use varies from what is projected, you can still be stuck with that "surprise" charge. Essentially, you're moving that extra winter spending to another time; the hope is that it will evenly spread over the entire year, but if there is an overage, you still pay it as a lump sum at the end of the fiscal year or when you relocate the service.

I recently moved. When my former roommate changed utility accounts to her new place, she was first required to pay almost $300 because our energy costs were higher that year than the previous one. She already had a bit of spending shock due to mover's fees and security deposits, and it turned out that the extra spending stressed her out more then than it would have around the holidays.

You can call ComEd directly and they will tell you the monthly average for the unit you intend to rent. People's Gas will not tell you though, you have to submit a request for disclosure form to the city.

I too, have had the sticker shock of my gas going up when I started using heat for the winter. Last November I paid $40 for my gas bill, by December it was $200. This is on a 1br in an old building with pathetic insulation.

If you can find a place with decent rent where the heat is included (these are almost always radiator units) I would snap it up. Utility bills are no fun, and neither is dealing with their customer service...

What are the renters rights in Chicago. In NYC every landlord is supposed to provide the bills for the heat of the apartment for the previous year should you choose to. But at the same time I am a landlord and i know by NYC law we are required to provide heat and hot water. My tenants do not pay for that. The only thing they pay for is cooking gas and electricity. I would check all the renter's rights bill and so one for Chicago before commiting to any rental agreement.

I live in a 1100 sq ft, 3 bedroom apartment. Old building, old furnace, bad insulation. We have GFA heat and control our own thermostat. I keep it at 66-68 in the winter. Our gas bills have run as high as $250 in Dec/Jan/Feb. In the summer, they are usually around $40.

I'm quite happy to see this thread, because I thought our bills seemed way too high. But, taking into account the size/age/insulation of our unit and looking at the other posts, I think it is close to average.

This is the first time I have had a unit where I could control the heat. I thought it would be great. After seeing the first winter gas bill... not so much. Next time, I'm going with landlord-controlled heat and buying a space heater if I get cold.

I, too, have never heard of anyone charging for water.

jyw -- totally average. I should've specified, I bought a programmable thermostat, have a 2br (one of the rooms is mostly shut/not used), and keep it at 68 when I'm home, 58 overnight/during the day. the rest of the year when it's just my cooking gas, my bill is ~$25.

also every radiator/heat included apartment I've ever had, the apartment has been at a comfortable temperature. legally, they are required to keep it at a certain temp, though I don't know what that is for Chicago.

In Chicago the landlord, if fuel for heat is not included in the rent, is required to provide the apparatus (furnace, space heater, etc) that is in working order and capable of maintaining 65F at -10F and it is the tenants responsibility to pay for it.

There really is no average unless you broke it down by construction type (i.e. amount of glass, level of insulation, etc) and heat source (hydronic vs. forced air, etc). Avoid electric heat for both cost (gas has been cheaper in Chicago) and efficiency - electric heat here doesn't have a great track record (it does elsewhere) and avoid heat pump only heating systems at all costs, they have a heating element to do the heating in most of the winters, since heat pumps don't function well in a cold climate like ours (this applies to standard heat pumps, not ground source or exhaust air).

Marsha must be looking at new construction single family or townhouses, since that would be the only place separate water meters would even begin to exist in Chicago (most people don't have meters, just a flat fee based on plumbing fixture count).

Inside the city of chicago, nobody should charge for water. I've lived in Wicker Park, Lakeview, and Roscoe Village and nobody I know of pays water. If someone is charging you water, they aren't a good landlord.

I lived in a building in Logan Square (built in 1914) with two (and a half) bedrooms, newer windows, and a boiler from the 1940s- seriously.

Our gas bill ran around $450 a month in the winter (November through March), the payment plan from People's was about $300 a month year-round. We kept the thermostat at 60 degrees and the place was always freezing- it was a total nightmare.

I refuse to rent anywhere in Chicago that requires us to pay heat unless the place has central air.