5 December 2024
If a landlord wishes to charge a tenant for water usage, they must ensure the rental property meets certain water efficiency measures.
From 23 March 2025 landlords must ensure rental properties have dual flush toilets with a minimum 3-star Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) rating if they wish to pass on water usage charges to their tenants.
For a rental property to meet water efficiency measures, it must have:
If a landlord is charging a tenant for water, then water usage charges should be paid separately to rent.
Billing periods for water usage are unlikely to align with the rental agreement. The initial condition report at the start of the tenancy should record the water meter reading to ensure the tenant does not pay for another person’s water usage.
A landlord or agent must request payment within 3 months of the bill being issued and give the tenant at least 21 days to pay.
If a tenant believes they are being incorrectly charged for water usage, they should continue to pay the water usage until the issue is resolved. For more information, see Non-payment of water and utilities in a rental property.
Learn more about landlord obligations for Connection and supply of water to rental properties.
If shower heads, taps or toilets need to be replaced, landlords must replace them with items that meet the water efficiency measures to be able to continue passing on water usage charges to the tenant.
Landlords who wish to pass on water usage charges to their tenants should also ensure existing toilets in their property are dual flush toilets with a minimum 3-star WELS rating to meet the water efficiency requirements in place from 23 March 2025.
For more information about water saving products and water rating labels, visit the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme website or call 1800 372 746.
Learn more about How to save water at home.
Water efficiency measures should appear on the condition report for the rental property. Tenants must not tamper with water efficiency measures – or they may have to pay to replace them.
Tenants can ask the landlord or agent to provide evidence demonstrating water efficiency. This could include the following:
You can check that taps and shower heads meet water efficiency measures by:
The amount of water in the bucket should not be more than 9 litres. This equals the required maximum flow rate of 9 litres per minute.
To check whether a dual-flush toilet meets water efficiency measures, you can measure the toilet’s capacity using a flush test. This may not be possible for all toilets, depending on where the water valve is located. You may wish to wear rubber gloves.
The total amount of water should not be more than 6.5 litres of water for a full flush of the toilet or 3.5 litres for a half flush. If your measurement exceeds this number, the toilet may not satisfy a 3-star WELS rating.
If you are concerned about water usage you may want to check for leaks. Keep an eye on your water meter and undertake a physical inspection for any leaks from water sources inside and outside the home.
There are several ways you can troubleshoot leaks.
If your water meter is ticking over when no-one’s using water, you may have a water leak.
Any sudden increase in water usage on your bill may also indicate a leak. Some meters have a dial to show you when you have a leak.
You can also perform the following test:
You may be able to see or hear if there is a leak inside or outside the home.
Inside the home leaks may be noticeable in dripping toilets, showers, taps in bathroom and kitchen pipes and hose connections that are easily accessible such as dishwashers or washing machines.
Outside the home, you can inspect your water meter, hot water systems, taps and hose connections, irrigation systems, and pool accessories, such as pumps and pool cleaners for leaks. Disconnect hoses or irrigation pipes that are always connected to garden taps to check they aren’t leaking. If you suspect there is an underground pipe leak, look for green patches of grass that are different from the surrounding grass.
An expert or licensed plumber may need to be involved to fix the leak.
If you are a tenant and have concerns or notice a leak, contact your landlord/agent to discuss the issue.
Learn more about Getting repairs done on a rental property.
Landlords and tenants can also contact their local water provider if they think the water bill is too high.
Water providers may have programs in place that can assist, such as:
Ask a question, get support, make a complaint, give feedback or get help with a dispute on matters relating to residential tenancies.
NSW Fair Trading call centre: 13 32 20
Monday to Friday, 8:30am-5pm
For further details, please CLICK HERE to NSW Government site
When managing your investment property, it is tempting to go at it alone as a property owner. Many of us hardly have enough hours in the day to manager our families, households, work, home maintenance, groceries, and other chores that we attend to in day to day lives. But once you have made the decision to purchase an investment property, you are responsible for managing your property, your tenants and you will need a property manager….
Maintaining your property and tenants do not go as well as you might imagine it would. As a landlord you will be dealing with many parties whether tenants or third parties for maintenance. This can lead to many issues, whereas with a property manager you can focus on your life while receiving returns from your investment property. A property manager acts like a middleman who deals with the people and issues, big or small. You can focus on the important things in life and to yourself, while a property manager makes your life easier and relaxed. With a property manager you will reap the benefits of your investment.
Here are some factors that make you think to engage a property manager.
You have limited time: rather than spending time on managing your property, dealing with tenants and bills, you could spend your time more wisely
You do not want to deal with the tenant: third parties are there for a reason to manage day to day tenancy issues, including sensitive and often difficult conversations such as property inspections, preleasing checks, bond inspections, etc. Using a property manager means you do not need to have those difficult and sensitive conversations, and will not need to be put in tricky situations
You may be living far from your investment property: Is not it good to have someone local and close looking after your investment. They can deal with situations straight away, instead of being delayed by distance, which will offer you peace of mind.
You’re either not interested in managing your investment property or have any interest in hands-on management: You may not want to choose to spend your days travelling to spend an entire day fixing problems, collecting rent, arranging repairs or having to do it yourself, conducting property inspections, keeping trust accounts, record and filing bongs, locating tenants, adjudicating disputes, managing tenancy breaches and reviewing endless lease paperwork and legislation, renewing rent and leases to name a few investment property related. That is just too overwhelming for one person, who already has work, their own household life, and their own maintenance to keep.
A Property Manager is an asset to your investment property, allowing you to enjoy and experience life, whilst reaping the rewards and benefits of an investment property. Property managers allow you to get the most out of your investment, while maintaining and advising you on your investment legislation and management wise.
To get the most out of your property, please have a chat with our one of our Property Managers today or Call 0410 066 578
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