The lessor also pays for the delivery or rental of gas cylinders at the beginning of the lease. In NSW, a landlord cannot ask a tenant to pay water charges: the existing sockets are, however, facilities made available with the premises for the use of the tenant. As such, the lessor is required to ensure that these facilities are in an appropriate condition and that these facilities are maintained, unless the lease expressly excludes it. Landlords must ensure that there is sufficient water available in their rental properties. If there is no water supply, the owner must ensure that enough water can be collected and stored. For more information on water-efficient products and labelling systems, please visit the Labelling and Water-Efficient Standards (WELS) website or by phone at 1800 218 478. If water is the only form of supply, the owner should make sure that a tank contains water at the beginning of your rental. Note the water level in the status report. You are responsible for filling the tank. The owner is responsible for the maintenance as well as the associated pumps and electrical systems. They regularly check the proper operation and report (including in writing) any problems to the owner/agent. If the unit has solar panels, the electricity bill may remain in the owner`s name.
In this case, the owner can recover the full electricity costs if he takes this information in the rental agreement. In the agreement, it should be that the tenant must pay for the electricity consumption on the electricity account. A calculation for electricity can be (total bill/ total number of rooms in the apartment block) x Number of rooms in rooms for rent in the rental agreement. If the lease of a two-bedroom apartment was in a block of ten and the bill was 200 dollars, then the calculation would be: ($200 bill / 20 rooms in the block) X 2 (room for rent) -20 dollars. If there is no separate account for any of these services, the prescribed tenancy agreement requires you to calculate how the tenant`s fees are calculated. If the tenant wishes to verify that the property meets the minimum standards, it can turn on the faucet completely and the water flow must be less than 9 litres in one minute. The owner is also required to check and ensure that there are no leaks from faucets, toilets or showerheads at the beginning of the rental. It is important to include these calculations, as the tenant is not required to pay an electricity bill unless there is a written agreement on how the bill is calculated. The Economic Regulatory Authority (ERA) produces consumption guides that will help you better understand electricity, gas and water services.
EERA also provides information on accounting concessions and support. If a tenant is more than 14 days late with water consumption or incidental fees, the landlord or real estate agent can be served with no payment notice that gives him 14 days to leave the property. The owner may have installed devices (z.B. fan or regulator) to meet this requirement. A simple test consists of turning on the water completely and using a tank and stopwatch to check the flow. Otherwise, products with a three-star label (in accordance with the standard and efficiency of water – WELS – regulations) tend to indicate that the prescribed standards are being met. If nothing is written in the agreement and there is a separate water meter to start agreements: If you receive a backdated water bill, check the data to which it relates. If the data refers to a previous rental agreement or at a time when you did not live in the accommodation, you must send the invoice to your landlord. You should also check who is responsible for paying water royalties to the water company.
If water costs are included in your rent, it will be your landlord, then send the bill to them. No leaks of faucets or toilets anywhere on the ground at the beginning of the lease and whenever other water efficiency measures sound