When is the landlord responsible for water charges?
Landlords have to pay water charges if the water meter reads the supply of water to two or more houses, or if the landlord’s renting out each room in a house on separate tenancy agreements.
If the landlord doesn’t want to pay for water in these situations, they have to install separate meters for each tenancy to show how much water each tenancy uses.
When is the tenant responsible for water charges?
Tenants need to pay for water charges under the following circumstances:
- the property has a separate water meter
- the water supplier provides water to the property on a metered basis
- the charges can be exclusively attributed to the tenants occupation of the premises
How to avoid confusion
In order to make sure that all parties know who is responsible for paying the water bill, a clear clause should be added to your tenancy agreement. A tenant is not responsible for any costs that a landlord has agreed in writing to pay. You can easily add additional tenancy terms when you set up your tenancy with myRent.
