Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Landlord's Watercare responsibility?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Tāmaki Makaurau
    Posts
    138

    Question Landlord's Watercare responsibility?

    Hi there,

    I want to cross-check with fellow members; we live on the Hibiscus Coast, and is it true that the owner is responsible for the fixed portion of the water account, around$18/$19 a month?

    If so, what's that fee for? Why is the landlord responsible for that monthly expense?

    Cheers

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
    Posts
    208

    Default

    is it true that the owner is responsible for the fixed portion of the water account
    If so, what's that fee for? Why is the landlord responsible for that monthly expense?
    I don't know what the actual rental laws are on this, but here's how Watercare fees work.

    For people who are on a water meter (which it sounds like you are) the fixed fee is for wastewater/infrastructure/etc. The additional amount is for the cost of actual water used.

    In some areas, this is included in the local council "rates", which are customarily the homeowner's responsibility, but are taken into consideration when they decide what to charge for rent. Therefore, it stands to reason that **potentially** the homeowner could pay the fixed portion of the Watercare fees, and hold the tenant responsible for the cost of the water used.

    However, that may be very difficult to coordinate between the two. It would not be unreasonable for the homeowner to just have the tenant pay the bill monthly, simply for the sake of convenience.

    Again, I don't know what the legal requirements are one way or the other. A lot of it may come down to what was agreed upon in your rental contract. If you believe you are being unfairly charged for something, you could ask Tenancy Services or Citizens Advice Bureau to see if it is covered under any NZ tenancy laws.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Dairy Flat, Auckland
    Posts
    1,789

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Whangaparaoa
    Posts
    472

    Default

    Hi! Also live on the Hibiscus Coast, and was formerly a tenant in Stanmore Bay. Yes, the landlord is responsible for the fixed portion of the watercare bill.

    There are two parts to your wastewater bill:
    Fixed charge: this pays for maintaining the wastewater network and is not based on how much water you use.
    Volumetric charge: this pays for collecting and treating your wastewater.

    https://www.watercare.co.nz/Manage-a...te-our-charges

    If you are with a rental agency like Barfoot, the landlord will get billed for the whole thing and they will invoice the tenant for the usage.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Tāmaki Makaurau
    Posts
    138

    Default

    Hi all,

    What if my landlord just pass the watercare bill? How much should I charge my landlord? Is that $18 or $19 per month charge reasonable? I need to know where that number comes from.

    Thanks for your response as well, that's somewhat confirming.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Tāmaki Makaurau
    Posts
    138

    Default

    I got another Watercare bill, and have no idea how much should I charge my landlord.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,822

    Default

    A lot of forum members have had help with what their rights and obligations are from the CAB.

    https://www.cab.org.nz/

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Whangaparaoa
    Posts
    472

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sackboy View Post
    I got another Watercare bill, and have no idea how much lshould I charge my landlord.
    They are responsible for the portion labeled “Wastewater fixed charges”.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •