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Tenants to pay for their water usage
Urban utilities have installed individual water meters for your unit which allows an owner to request the tenant to pay for their water usage. This request will be placed in the lease at item 12.2. The owner will pay all access charges (including water access and sewerage access) which are fixed charges. An example water bill showing how the bill is split between owner and tenant is shown on the second page.
What is the process for receiving a water bill?
On receipt of each water bill we will
- make a photocopy of the water bill to provide to the tenant
- calculate the tenants portion of the water bill
- generate an invoice for the tenants portion
- email or post the invoice (together with photocopied water bill) to tenants post box
What is the process for paying a bill and how long do I have to pay it?
The tenant should pay the water bill within 30 days of issue, however earlier payment is appreciated. To pay for water the tenant makes the payment into the myComplex trust account the same way as rent is currently paid, however a unique bank reference must be used:
If you pay rent via the internet then please use reference “WATERxxNAME” where xx is your Unit number and your name is either first or second (surname). Do NOT include the reference “MYCOMPLEX”.
If you pay rent at the bank then please use reference “777xx” where xx is your Unit number. Note: you must use the leading 777 before your unit number otherwise the payment will be considered rent.
If you are confused please contact the office.
What if I am moving out?
If you are moving out then we will:
- read the water meter on the day you move out
- calculate a pro-rata bill based on your previous water bill
- add the bill to your bond, OR request payment on the day. It is important to note that the final water payment must be made prior to your bond being returned to you. Making this final payment through the bond return system is the simplest method.
What if water has just been included in my lease?
If your new lease now requires you to pay for water then we will:
- read the water meter on the first day of your new lease
- calculate a pro-rata bill based on your new lease date when the next bill arrives
What if I don’t pay for water?
If you fail to pay for water usage and it is a condition of your lease then you are breaching your lease and you will be issued a Form 11 – Notice to remedy breach. This may affect future tenancies.
Example water bill showing owner and tenant responsibilities
The following water bill shows the tenant responsibility and owner responsibility.
In the above example the tenant would be invoiced as follows:
State bulk water charges $76.54
Local government water charges$23.36
Total invoice to tenant for tenants water usage$99.90
The owner is responsible for
Water access charge$43.41
Sewerage access charge$123.63
Total invoice to owner for unit water access$167.04
Remember the tenant is not being asked to pay the full urban utilities water bill (which includes service fees such as sewerage); the tenant is simply being asked to pay for the water they use which as shown above is a portion of the total bill.
Should you have any concerns or queries then please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Kind Regards
myComplex
This document was written by Troy Edwards from Shine Realty – specialist in selling management rights
Contact details
Troy Edwards
0416 060 372