[Marie P]

We got our water rates bill today from 9/01 to 30/3 .......$292

Seems awful high [2 adults and 3 kids ],any one else pay this amount ?

Marie x

[Singel]

Our half-yearly water bill (for 2 adults) is $146 which is about $25 per month.

Hmmm..............Marie, your water bill seem a lot, nearly 100 bucks per month :no

[jubjub]

We paid 44 in the rental for 4 months, then about 60 from July -Dec, so guess our usage is about 10 a month.

You sure you only been charged for the time you have been in the rental? Did they do a water meter read the day you moved in?

[Moorf]

Water rates?

[Tara Sage]

We pay $84 per quarter!

[Moorf]

:confused: I don't ever remember seeing (or paying!) a water rate!! :exit

[jubjub]

Have a look round your property for a pale blue metal lid, about the size of an oblong ice cream container. (probably near the road so the council can read it easy), the water meter is under that, unless of course you have always had your own tank? Then maybe you have not got one :confused: .


We only get a bill twice a year.

[foolsgold99]

$100 a month, sounds like a leak. Either that or you do use 10 times as much water as us.

If the leak is on your property, then you need to pay for the water that leaks out

[richard]

:confused: I don't ever remember seeing (or paying!) a water rate!! :exit

That is probably because in ChCh it is just part of the overall rates bill. I think I remember seeing it itemised on the bill:-



Is the Council charging for Water?

Yes. The Council charges for water in the rates demand, which is calculated by multiplying the capital value of the property by a variable determined yearly in the annual plan.

Domestic consumers pay the amount on the rates bill only. The Council does not charge domestic users for actual use, but does monitor and inform excessive users.

[Moorf]

Richard - I was beginning to wonder if that was the case. We're not in the Chch council area anymore, we're in Selwyn, and we're on septic tanks for sewage so I wonder if same as Chch and added into rates... hmmmm

[sarahw]

$210 a year for water $196 a year for sewerage here in Paremata, Welly - but everyone's house varies depending on the valuation.

Never paid anything in the rental we were in - its the responsibility of the property owner to pay the rates (even if they add part of it into your rent).

[urban78]

Never paid anything in the rental we were in - its the responsibility of the property owner to pay the rates (even if they add part of it into your rent).

Thanks for the info Sarah. I was beginning to wonder when we'd get a water bill (we've been in our apartment nearly 5 months) and looks like we won't be getting one - we live in a rental and from what you mentioned, it seems that the owner will be paying it for us ;)

Jen

[jubjub]

Not all rentals include water, as its based on usage, hardly fair for a landlord to include it in rent if you have 10 baths a day....

In Auckland (well Manukau council area for certain), there are two kinds of rates relating to water:- usage, and waste water charges. Up to July this year, waste water charges are included in the rates for the property, and therefore landlord will be paying those, however the actual water usage is a separate bill, and they are entitled to pass that cost onto you (the renter), as its you thats using it.

If you had a water meter reading done the day you took on the rental, expect to receive a bill. (it should be listed on your tenancy agreement).

[urban78]

Not all rentals include water, as its based on usage, hardly fair for a landlord to include it in rent if you have 10 baths a day....

In Auckland (well Manukau council area for certain), there are two kinds of rates relating to water:- usage, and waste water charges. Up to July this year, waste water charges are included in the rates for the property, and therefore landlord will be paying those, however the actual water usage is a separate bill, and they are entitled to pass that cost onto you (the renter), as its you thats using it.

If you had a water meter reading done the day you took on the rental, expect to receive a bill. (it should be listed on your tenancy agreement).

Hey Sal,

Thanks for the info. My partner's sister picked the rental keys up for us and we moved in the following night. As far as I know, there was no water meter reading and there's nothing mentioned on our tenancy agreement either (just checked) :confused: We live in Auckland CBD.

Oh well we'll see what happens in the next few weeks and will have a chat with the landlord tomorrow...it will be 5 months since moving in on the 3rd of May.

[StevieD]

Certainly one to be aware of though! I will remember to check all these things out when our time comes.

[Cardiff Irons]

We currently pay about £900 per year in the UK for our water rates :mad:. Yet another good reason for moving I reckon!

[zardell]

[QUOTE=Cardiff Irons]We currently pay about £900 per year in the UK for our water rates QUOTE]


That seems an awful lot of money....ours are about £200 per year.

Are you on a meter or something ??

Julie

xx

[Smiler]

Crikey even with a meter ours weren't 900! Have you got a leak???:confused:


Congrats on the house sale too. :nice1:nice1:nice1

[Cardiff Irons]

Crikey even with a meter ours weren't 900! Have you got a leak???:confused:


Congrats on the house sale too. We are on a meter and no we haven't got a leak. Just 4 kids, including two teenage girls who each wash/shower for about 4 hours a day! :uhoh

House sale :eek:? Do you know something we don't?

[Smiler]

It was early, I was tired and :confused:
I read the wrong name :uhoh Cardy looked like Cardiff. :o

Sorry!

Still think 900 is tooooooooooooo much for water rates though.

[Cardiff Irons]

It was early, I was tired and :confused:
I read the wrong name :uhoh Cardy looked like Cardiff. :o

Sorry!

Still think 900 is tooooooooooooo much for water rates though.Damn. I thought you'd organised a buyer and it was all going to be a big surprise!!!

And I agree it is too much, way too much. But.....the washing machine goes on on average once a day, the dishwasher twice (sometimes 3 x) a day, and then there's all the washing/flushing etc. that familes of six do.

I thought there must be a leak at first, but I cunningly took a water meter reading before we went on our hols a couple of years back. Came back and expected the meter to have whizzed round a few hundred units and.........zilch, nothing! Confirmed therefore we have no leak!:wah

[sarahw]

Jub jub, we don't have water meters here in this part of Welly - probably do in new houses but the ones we've been living in are 30 years old - never heard anyone in Welly mention water meters at all.

We don't get measured at all on our useage - just a straight annual fee on our rates bill from the local council (probably related to our rateable value of the house) - no separate water bill.

All I can say is you guys on meters sound like you've got a raw deal there & I feel for you Cardiff Irons with a family of 6 that must be very difficult.

[urban78]

Well I spoke to our landlord this morning and he said water was paid by the body corporate and there are no water meters so we will not be getting a bill.

[jonSE]

Does God charge for the rainfall ?

"Quick Rhonda have another bath it's raining and the tanks are about to overflow again!"

Rhonda (OH) felt quite deprived of baths in the summer with the potential need to be economic with water use. Now she is starting to get a bit wrinkled with all the enforced baths!

What are water rates?

Three tanks and a septic plus reticulation field. Self sufficient. If it was not a rental by now would be recycling the grey water as well.

Have read recently that the UK has hosepipe bans this early in the year it is time that some money was spent to encourage people to be more economic with their use of water. Use of roof rainwater for showering and bathing and re-use of grey water - ex shower or bath for toilet flushing would probably mean that the UK could export water and not have hosepipe bans.

[Marie P]

Everyone we spoke to said our bill was way to high [even for a family of 5 ].
So superDave had an idea ,he found our meter and we switched on every tap ,shower and flushed the loo.
Our meter didn't move but the one next to it did .We repeated this 3 times and then contacted our rental people and metrowater .
They had mixed the meters with the wrong house numbers ,so we should be getting a refund .[poor neighbours wait till they get their bill !!!]

Marie x

[StevieD]

Just goes to show u doesn't it! Must admit, our water bill went down when we were fitted with a water meter years ago.

Steve

[katandbob]

Everyone we spoke to said our bill was way to high [even for a family of 5 ].
So superDave had an idea ,he found our meter and we switched on every tap ,shower and flushed the loo.
Our meter didn't move but the one next to it did .We repeated this 3 times and then contacted our rental people and metrowater .
They had mixed the meters with the wrong house numbers ,so we should be getting a refund .[poor neighbours wait till they get their bill !!!]

Marie x

YAY FOR SUPA DAVE!!!!!!!!!!!

:cheers :cheers

Kat :nice1

[Singel]

Marie, glad to know that you have the water bill problem sorted out.

WELL DONE, Dave :nice1

[Marie P]

We are getting a refund of $150 :nice1

Marie x

[bpk]

I thought the water in NZ is so cheap like O2.
But it seems that I am mistaken. Well, as a hydrologist, I believe that NZ is full of water, but why are the prices high??