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Helpful Tips

Charging tenants for water consumption

Aaron Athorn
Director & Business Owner
Phone:  (07) 3622 6436
Email: hello@collinsgregory.com.au

Charging tenants for water consumption isn’t as straight forward as sending a bill.

In Queensland, tenants can only be charged for all water consumption (‘Water Usage‘) if:

  • the property is individually metered (or water is delivered by vehicle), and
  • the property is water efficient, and
  • the tenancy agreement states the tenant must pay for water consumption.

The property owner must pay all fixed charges, including ‘Water Services‘ and ‘Sewerage Services‘. The tenant cannot be charged more than the billable amount.

Timeframes to Request Reimbursement from Tenants

A tenant must receive utility bills within a four-week timeframe of the owner receiving a copy of the bill from the utility provider (e.g. Urban Utilities), otherwise the tenant does not need to pay.

Here is an example of an Urban Utilities bill showing the breakdown.

For a property to be water efficient, a licensed Plumber can be engaged to check and provide a certification stating this which can then held on file to enable a Property Manager to pass on water consumption charges.

What are water efficient premises?

  • Internal cold water taps, single mixer taps (excluding bathtub taps & taps for appliances) and showerheads must have a maximum flowrate of 9 litres per minute.
  • Toilets must have a dual flush function not exceeding six point five (6.5) litres on full flush and three point five (3.5) litres on half flush and a maximum average flush volume of four litres (based on the average of one full flush and four half flushes).
  • The requirement for taps applies only to internal cold water taps that are installed over a hand basin, kitchen sink or laundry trough (including single mixer taps). The requirement does not apply to other taps in the premises such as bath tub taps, outside taps for the garden, or taps which supply washing machines or dishwashers. These taps are not required to be water efficient.

Water efficient devices may need to be installed in your property, such as new showerheads and other water saving devices. Depending on the types water saving devices in the home, a home may already be water efficient and simply require a certification to be put into place.

A plumber should provide this certification in written form as it may be used to rely upon at a later date.

If you already hold a water efficiency certificate, provided in writing by a licensed Plumber, you can easily provide it to your Property Manager.

If you require some assistance in having your property certified as water efficient, just let us know.

Do you have a question about your investment property? Get in touch and see how Collins Gregory Real Estate can help.

Call us on (07) 3622 6436 to discuss your needs today.

References:

  • Water Charging – Residential Tenancies Authority Queensland –

https://www.rta.qld.gov.au/during-a-tenancy/rent-and-other-bills/water-charging