QLD Tenant water charging in QLD - proving water efficiency

What I'm hearing is there's a market for a device that automatically cuts the water flow 10 minutes after it starts

 

Normal usage in my experience is around $500-600 per year, or $200 per quarter.

That's based off an actual over two years with 2 adults and a pool in a 4/2/2.

 

I grew up in the time of FOUR minute showers- Our alarm was Mum banging on the door until the water turned off!

 

You obviously dont live in Brisbane or Moreton Bay where we get charged a king's ransom for water and the way the invoices are set up,we can only oncharge about $80 a qtr to the tenant. Mine are more like $400 a qtr with no pools.

 

Deliberately use a small volume hot water system, then they'll argue between themselves who is first.

 

Exactly my point. The current Legislation only allow Landlords to charge the consumption, not fixed charge.
I hope during my lifetime, QUU will be able to charge Tenants directly, like they do with Electricity and Internet. That will be a blessing!

Meanwhile, we have been installing rainwater tank/ taps/ sprinklers around the area.
Luckily our son dont take long shower, otherwise he'd be sent out to the rainwater tank!

 

Our tenant refused to pay for his water even although he signed the lease with an explicit clause in it and we have an individual meter, unless we got a compliance certificate which we did. Now he just doesn't bother paying. He is now three behind. Just suggested to rea we send letter implying if he cant pay because of the virus, we could give moratorium till end June then pay lot. Don't know whether this is wise??.

 

Just send a breach notice. Water charges are not rent. As such, the notice will be for breach of a term of the agreement, and not for failure to pay rent. The COVID-19 provisions only prohibit you from issuing breach notices for failure to pay rent.

You can extend assistance if you want, but reminding them that in this case you're under no obligation to should get them to start talking to you.

 

Exactly the nightmare we fear.... So they are ontime with rent, but water is 3-quarters behind?
If you dont mind to share, how much is the rent and how much is the water owing?

 

I'm having the same problem, they're meant to pay it within a month but I see the money up to 4 months later. It would be worth getting involved with an advocacy group and pushing for direct billing,

 

Found this thread being currently relevant to our situation. In mid-2009 (more than 11 years ago) we had a PM for our property (a house with a separate water meter) who got a plumber to change all the taps, shower heads and toilet flushes to 3*. Then we were able to seek reimbursements for water usage from tenants (one had run up a large bill which we had to pay). We had a big fall out with that PM, and asked for a water compliant certificate but they never replied to our follow up emails. Since then we have had 4 other PMs, and always able to seek reimbursements for water usage from tenants. However, a new set of tenants are about to move in and asked for a water compliant certificate. Of course, we do not have one!
From reading this thread, people have recommended to get a plumber out to check everything and issued a water compliant certificate. It may be something we will have to do, to silence the tenants. However, is there anything else which we should be doing? We have not been asked for a water compliant certificate before. I lost my computer hard drive 5 years ago so cannot retrieve past rental records as proof of water efficiency work done by a plumber.
Thanks for advice and comments.

 

@ozwanderlust get the WELS check done, assuming the house still complies then you will be able to backwards charge for water as well. The certificate itself is not the requirement, but it is the best way of proving that the house is compliant. You do need to be able to supply proof to the agent that the property is compliant when requested by the tenant.

 

Thanks, Tom Rivera, for your reply. I will ask the PM to get a plumber to check and provide a certificate. We have been claiming reimbursements for water usage (currently more than $1,000 a year) from all tenants since mid 2009 (the then PM got a plumber to change all the taps, shower heads and toilet flushes to 3*, and nothing should have been changed since then). We have never been asked by PMs or tenants to provide a certificate until now.

 

Thanks, wylie, for your reply. Agree, it is best for us to pay for a new inspection and certificate. We no longer have details of the plumber used by the old PM more than 11 years ago - as computer hard drive crashed

 

In NSW the bathroom/kitchen sinks and showers are deemed water efficient if the rate is 9L/minute or below. Easiest way to prove this is to ask the tenant to get a bucket and timer. I've only had plumbers out to install water efficient devices, not to prove water efficiency.

And I couldn't justify not charging water usage to the tenant when it is written into the lease and the owner is allowed to. Get your PM to manage it - at $800/yr its almost half your PM cost!

 

Update and need further advice.

PM said it would cost $110 for a plumber to come to property to check and issue a water compliance certificate. But, we got a shock when PM said a plumber came and declared that all the water devices in the property were NOT water compliance. They quoted almost $1,200 to replace toilet cisterns, basin taps, shower heads, laundry taps, kitchen tap etc We almost had a heart attack Have asked PM to get another quote.

As explained almost 11 years ago the original PM of the property said they had a plumber to change all water devices to make them compliance so they could charge water usage to tenants. Since that original PM, we have had 3 more PMs. And, we could not find the corres with the original PM - computer crashed, files lost.

Questions: Do we have any recourse against the original PM, for misleading? Should we sue them? Should we report them to Fair Trading?

Would appreciate any comment / advice on this.