Rates, Water & Sewerage Service Charges (all states)
The Landlord is responsible for paying local council rates, all service charges for water and sewerage issued by local water supply authority.
Some Water Authorites also charge a fee for sewerage discharge or waste water, this fee be charged to the tenant.
VIC – If the property has its own meter (Melbourne Metropolitan area) the tenant must, pay for sewerage disposal, unless you have agreed to pay for these charges.
Water (all states)
Landlords can pass on the full water consumption costs to the tenant/s provided the minimum criteria has been met.
- The premise must be individually metered (or water is delivered by those on rural properties or with water tanks)
- The charges must not exceed the amount billed for water usage by the supplier
- The premise must meet required ‘water efficiency’ standards.
Water efficient devices |
Minimum water efficiency standard required |
| Internal cold water taps and single mixer taps for kitchen sinks, bathroom hand basins and Showerheads | A maximum flow rate of nine litres per minute |
| Toilets | 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). |
| No leaking taps | No leaking taps anywhere on the premises at the start of the tenancy or when the other water efficiency measures are installed |
A tenant can be asked to pay the ‘water usage’ part of the bill only. The connection or service fees cannot be passed onto the tenant. The ‘water usage’ charge which appears on your bill for the rented property refers to the amount of water which flows through the water meter on the property. A tenant can only be charged for the metered amount of water which they use.
A Tenant must be given a copy of the part of the water bill setting out the water usage charges.
Ensure you read and record the water meter figure on the Entry / Ingoing condition report before the tenancy commences on every occasion.
WA: Where there is individual water meters on a property the Water Corporation (upon your written or verbal authorisation) will send water consumption accounts directly to your tenant. However, be aware that if the account is not paid, you will be responsible for the amounts owing.
Shared Water Meter if there is no water meter for the rented premises, which is common in most block of units a tenant cannot be charged for water usage.
SA: an agreement can be made on payment of a portion of the water usage charge, it would be wise to do this by percentage.
All States: A tenant is entitled to a photocopy of the water account and should pay any amounts owing by the due date on the bill. A Tenant may only be charged for water usage if they have agreed to pay it under the additional terms of the Residential Tenancy Agreement prior to the commencement of the Tenancy Agreement. It cannot be introduced later.