Extra water cost liability
Katie asks:
(updated on Friday, September 23rd 2016)
Usually our water bills are between $70-$120 per month. We had a toilet that was continuously running and I reported this to my landlord. I specified in my email that I was worried about this affecting water bills. It took over a month and some more emails until this was fixed. We have just received a bill for $400. $270 of it is wastewater. Who is liable for this?
Our Experts Answer:
It sounds like the excess water rates are due to the toilet cistern problem. You are required to pay for your water usage, but you shouldn’t be required to pay for water wastage if the extra costs are caused by the landlord’s slowness in fixing a toilet cistern. I suggest you average your previous water charges invoices and see what a normal usage is over the billing period, and offer that amount to the landlord. If he is wise, he will accept that amount and avoid a dispute.
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