If you are a landlord and wish to collect utility payments from your tenants, you can create your own utility bill template using a program like Microsoft Excel. This is especially helpful if you wish to keep one large, centralized utility account in the building superintendent's name and to collect smaller, shared payments from your tenants. A utility bill must contain three things: the tenant's address and account information, the account balance and the services rendered for the month.
Step 1
Open a new Excel spreadsheet. Create a large, bold-print title for your utility bill a few rows down from the top of the page in cell A3. The title can be as simple as "Anywhere Apartments Water Bill."
Step 2
Skip one or two rows and create an "Account Information" subheading in cell A5.
Step 3
Below the subheading, include your tenant's name, address, apartment number and utility account number. In a separate column to the right of the name and address (columns B or C), write down the billing cycle dates. You can find this information on the main utility bill. In a another column to the right of the billing cycle dates (columns D or E), write down the utility bill's due date and the total amount of new charges.
Step 4
Skip another two rows. Create a second subheading entitled "Account Balance" near cell A13.
Step 5
Below the "Account Balance" subheading, write down the total amount due the previous billing cycle. Subtract the amount you received from the tenant's previous payment and add the new charges for the month. For example, if your tenant owed $40 in June, paid the total in full and now owes $42 in July, indicate this on the utility bill by displaying $40 - $40 = $0 due in June + $42 = $42 due in July. Alternatively, if a tenant has not paid the bill in June, you would display $40 +$0 = $40 due in June + $42 = $82 due in July.
Step 6
Skip another two rows. Create a third and final "Services Rendered" subheading near cell A28.
Step 7
Indicate how you arrived at the total amount due in this section. For example, if the total utility cost for the entire building was $1,000 and you divide the bill by 10 apartment rooms and 20 tenants, indicate that the total owed by a single tenant living alone is $50. In this section, you can also include the total kilowatt-hours or gallons of water consumed within the building complex.
Step 8
Click on the "Print Preview" icon to make sure all parts of your utility bill print onto a single page. You can adjust the location and placement of the titles, headings and information on your utility bill by clicking the cells and dragging them.
Step 9
Double-check and save your work.
Tip
Make sure your applicants know that they are paying shared utilities before they sign a lease. Explain the pooling process and how the utility bills are divided among tenants.
Warning
Understand your state laws before creating utility bills.