Water charges for Queensland tenants

Check the agreement and the property

Start with the special terms in the tenancy agreement, then check whether the premises meet the requirements for charging water consumption. Ask for the underlying bill and calculation where these are not provided.

A charge is not automatically correct merely because it appears on an agency invoice. Keep the invoice, meter details and your written questions together.

Timing matters

Queensland changes commencing 30 September 2024 extended the existing four-week water-bill rule to utility bills generally. Different calculation rules can apply where a tenancy starts or ends part-way through a billing period.

The four checks for full water consumption charges

For a general tenancy, put four questions beside the invoice. Is the property individually metered, or is water delivered by vehicle? Does the property meet the water-efficiency standard? Does the tenancy agreement say the tenant must pay for water consumption? Did the property manager or owner give the tenant a copy of the provider's bill within four weeks of receiving it? All four matter when the full consumption amount is passed on.

Do not confuse an agency-created invoice with the underlying water bill. Ask for the service-provider bill, the billing period, meter readings and the calculation used for your tenancy. A tenant cannot be charged more than the billable amount. Keep the agreement and every bill together so the same threshold questions can be checked each time.

Which parts of a water bill can be passed on

Where the full-consumption criteria are met, the RTA says state bulk-water and water-usage charges can be passed on. Fixed water-access and sewerage-access charges remain the owner's responsibility. Sewerage usage shown as a fixed or variable item also cannot be passed on as a water-consumption service charge. Read the provider's line items instead of accepting the total at the bottom of the bill.

Example: a council bill might contain $165 in fixed access charges and $94 in eligible consumption charges. Even if the property is water efficient and individually metered, the tenant's starting figure is not automatically $259. The line-item rules and the agreement still need to be applied before any partial-period adjustment.

How to check water efficiency

The current RTA standard includes a maximum flow rate of nine litres per minute for relevant internal cold-water and single-mixer taps and for showerheads. Toilets need a compliant dual-flush function and average flush volume. Bathtub, garden and appliance-supply taps are not part of this particular efficiency test. A WELS label of three stars or higher can be useful evidence for many post-2005 fixtures.

Ask for a plumbing report, compliance certificate, receipt, packaging, warranty or product instructions if efficiency is disputed. A statement in the lease that the premises are water efficient is not the same as evidence that the fixtures comply. If the premises are not water efficient, a tenant may still be charged agreed excess consumption where the property is individually metered and the agreement provides for it, but the owner must cover a reasonable amount.

The two separate four-week periods

The property manager or owner generally has four weeks from receiving the provider's bill to give the tenant a copy. If that deadline is missed, the RTA says the tenant does not have to pay that bill. Once a compliant bill is given, the tenant has four weeks to pay it. Record both receipt dates rather than treating 'four weeks' as one shared deadline.

Reply in writing if a bill arrives late or without the supporting provider document. Identify the bill date, the date it was sent to you and the missing information. Do not deduct a disputed water amount from rent or withhold ordinary rent; keep the water charge as a separate written issue so it does not turn into a rent-arrears dispute.

Tenancies that cover only part of a billing period

A bill may begin before you moved in or end after you returned the keys. For a general tenancy partial period, the RTA describes a reasonable estimate based on an entry or exit meter reading and the current consumption rate. The premises still need to be individually metered and water efficient, and the agreement must make the tenant responsible for consumption.

Photograph the meter reading at both ends of the tenancy and write it on the condition reports. Ask the calculation to show the opening reading, closing reading, units consumed and rate used. Where a tenancy ends before the next provider bill exists, the most recent bill may supply the rate; a transparent calculation is more useful than dividing a quarterly total by an approximate number of occupants or weeks.

If you disagree with the amount

First identify the exact disagreement: eligibility to charge, efficiency, an excluded line item, late delivery, the meter reading, the rate or the partial-period arithmetic. Ask for the missing evidence and propose the amount you calculate, if any. A short table of dates and figures is easier to resolve than a general statement that the water bill is unfair.

If self-resolution does not work, the RTA's dispute-resolution service may assist with a tenancy dispute. Preserve the bill, envelope or email, agreement, efficiency evidence, condition reports, meter photographs and your calculation. Concealed leaks can also create unusually high bills; report a suspected leak immediately so repairs and any provider remission process can be investigated separately.