Passing on water costs
Question from Mish updated on 29th August 2012:
Just a quick question about the changes re Watercare's fixed service charge. My tenant thinks it's unfair that the fixed charge is included in his bill, whereas previously I had to pay it in my rates. What's the norm here? Have landlords been passing this cost on to tenants or just bearing the cost themselves?
Our expert Juliet Robinson responded:
In a nutshell, your tenant is right. Under section 39 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 tenants are responsible for water supply charges that are issued by the supplier on the basis of consumption. Any fixed charge cannot be charged to a tenant. It must remain with the landlord.
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