Tenant water use
Have you received a higher bill than usual and/or an increase in water use?
There are many potential reasons why your bill might be higher than normal. For instance, you might have a leak, or you may have moved to a new water pricing tier. See our article check why my bill is high for more information.
Compare your water use
If you receive your water bills, you may want to compare your water use by looking at previous bills or logging into your online account to access your water use graph. With the water use graph, you can see your water use for each billing period, making it easier to see any sudden or gradual changes.
We recommend you complete your household profile in your online account to compare your water use to similar households in your neighbourhood.
If you don’t receive your bills, chat with the property manager or owner and see if they can send you a copy of your previous bills or water use amounts.
Think you might have a leak?
Make sure you let the property manager or owner know that you have a leak at the property. Generally, tenants are not liable for issues or consequential damages caused by hidden leaks. However, if the leak is obvious, you may be liable for the cost of water lost.
Who is responsible for costs will ultimately depend upon what was agreed on between yourself and the owner before you moved into the property. For more information regarding who is responsible for maintenance and repair issues, head to Commerce WA.
Leak allowance
If you find a hidden leak and have it repaired by a licensed plumber or waterwise irrigator, you can apply for a leak allowance of up to 50% of the estimated water lost. You will need to ask the plumber or irrigator to apply on your behalf once they have completed the repairs.
If you are granted a leak allowance and receive a water bill, the amount will be credited to your water account and appear on the next bill. If you don’t receive your water bills from us, check with your property manager or owner that the allowance has been applied to your next bill and is passed onto you.
Still not sure?
Look at our high water use page to find other potential causes. It could be that more people are residing at the house than usual, or the installation of new appliances that use more water.
For business tenants, there could be other reasons leading to a spike in water use, please visit check why my bill is high for businesses to learn more about what you can do.