The gist of the legislation
We can only charge tenants for water usage where the property consumption is separately metered.
The important parts, at a glance
We’ve picked out the key parts of the legislation and made them as easy as possible to read and understand.
1.
The owner of the property is ultimately responsible for sewage, supply and consumption of water to the property.
2.
Sewage and supply charges can’t be passed onto the tenant. It’s a fixed quarterly cost that the owner must pay.
3.
Variable water consumption charges can be passed onto the tenant where the consumption charge is separately metered and therefore separately listed on the invoice. Separately metered simply means that the usage can be monitored and tracked over time on the meter at the property.
4.
Separately metered water consumption typically applies to a freestanding property. However, separately titled duplexes and townhouses are also often separately metered.
5.
Water consumption for apartments in a complex is typically divided between all apartments based on the unit’s entitlements schedule i.e. the size of the apartment.
6.
There is no way to track individual apartment usage on the meter, only whole building usage. The water consumption charge is bundled in with sewage and supply charges on the invoice.
