Tenants/residents usually pay for services such as electricity, gas, phone and internet. They may also be charged for water.
Utilities and services may be billed separately or included in the rent. Any service charges must be included in the tenancy agreement.
Tenants/residents cannot be charged for:
- more than the billable amount
- the cost of supplying or maintaining equipment
- time and labour in reading meters.
Connection and installation costs
Tenants/residents should check whether a service is available and connected or installed before signing a tenancy agreement. For internet connections tenants/residents should also check the internet speed and the type of connection available (NBN, ADSL or cable).
If a service is already available, the tenant/resident may need to pay a general connection charge to the service provider.
If a tenant/resident wants to install a new service, they must request permission in writing from the property manager/owner. If installation is agreed at the start of the tenancy, this should be included in the special terms of the tenancy agreement, or a separate agreement can be created.
Once a tenancy has started, any requests for service installations should follow the process for fixtures and structural changes. The tenant/resident and property manager/owner should discuss who will pay any costs associated with the installation and record their agreement in writing.
Utility charging for different tenancy types
Depending on the type of tenancy agreement, different rules apply for charging for services and utilities.
Water charging
A tenant may be charged for water if the property meets certain conditions. See water charging for more details.
Passing bills on to tenants/residents
Where tenants/residents pay for services that are individually metered, a property manager/owner must provide the tenant/resident with a copy of the bill within 4 weeks of receiving it from the service provider.
The tenant/resident does not have to pay the bill if the property manager/owner fails to provide a copy within this timeframe. A tenant/resident has one month to pay a bill after they receive it from the property manager/owner.
This applies to general tenancy agreements, moveable dwellings with individually metered utilities, and rooming accommodation agreements where the resident pays for utilities services. It does not apply to service charges or utilities services that are included in the rent.
Additional criteria applies for water charging.
In general tenancies or rooming accommodation, the agreement may include service charges (other than water) where the tenant/resident pays a fixed percentage. The RTA recommends that the property manager/owner also provides bills for these charges to the tenant/resident within 4 weeks of receiving them.
Solar power
If a property has solar power, the tenant and property manager/owner should negotiate how electricity will be charged before the start of the tenancy agreement. See solar power for more details.