Water Efficiency Rules: Tenants Can Challenge Water Bills

From March 23, 2025, NSW tenants gain significant new powers over water charges, with landlords required to meet strict efficiency standards before passing on usage costs - potentially saving renters hundreds annually.

The New Rules

Landlords can only charge for water usage if:

All toilets are dual-flush with minimum 3-star WELS rating
Property meets water efficiency measures
Tenants are informed about efficiency features
Individual water meters are installed

What This Means for Tenants

Immediate Savings

Properties failing to meet standards cannot charge tenants for water usage - the landlord must pay. With average water bills reaching $300+ quarterly, this represents substantial savings.

Existing Tenancies Protected

These rules apply to all tenancies, not just new ones. Check your toilets now - single flush models mean free water usage.

Shared Meters = No Charges

Already protected: tenants on shared meters (common in apartments) cannot be charged for water consumption in most states.

State-by-State Water Rights

NSW: Efficiency requirements + consumption only VIC: Consumption charges only if efficient QLD: Four-week billing timeframe or tenant exempt SA: Can include supply charges (unique nationally) WA: Shared meter charges allowed with calculation method

Common Landlord Tricks

Watch for attempts to:

Charge without required fixtures
Include sewerage/supply charges
Bill beyond allowed timeframes
Ignore shared meter rules
Delay efficiency upgrades

Your Action Plan

Check all toilets for dual-flush/rating
Document non-compliant fixtures
Request efficiency information
Challenge any water bills
Report to Fair Trading

Bondinator: Your Water Rights Defender

Bondinator helps you enforce water charge rules by:

Photographing all fixtures with timestamps
Tracking water bill disputes
Recording efficiency discussions
Calculating potential refunds
Building Fair Trading complaints

Our organized documentation makes challenging illegal water charges simple. One photo of a single-flush toilet could save you $1,200+ annually.

Don't pay for your landlord's inefficiency - use Bondinator to document fixtures and keep your money where it belongs: in your pocket.

What This Means for Tenants

Immediate Savings

Properties failing to meet standards cannot charge tenants for water usage - the landlord must pay. With average water bills reaching $300+ quarterly, this represents substantial savings.

Existing Tenancies Protected

These rules apply to all tenancies, not just new ones. Check your toilets now - single flush models mean free water usage.

Shared Meters = No Charges

Already protected: tenants on shared meters (common in apartments) cannot be charged for water consumption in most states.

Bondinator: Your Water Rights Defender

Bondinator helps you enforce water charge rules by:

Photographing all fixtures with timestamps

Tracking water bill disputes

Recording efficiency discussions

Calculating potential refunds

Building Fair Trading complaints

Our organized documentation makes challenging illegal water charges simple. One photo of a single-flush toilet could save you $1,200+ annually.

Don't pay for your landlord's inefficiency - use Bondinator to document fixtures and keep your money where it belongs: in your pocket.