This Q&A concerning individual water meters for apartments has been provided by Hayley Gath, Mathews Hunt Legal.
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There are about 26 villas in my complex and there is an aged care home next door. We share the water meter with the aged care home.
It’s so unfair because the aged care home uses water 24 hrs a day, they have a cafe, hairdressing salon, commercial laundry etc.
Is it possible to have individual water meters installed for our apartments?
Answer: A body corporate with a single water meter must apportion the costs for water usage between lots in accordance with the contribution schedule lot entitlements.
I assume that:
- your complex of 26 villas is a body corporate regulated by the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997; and
- the aged care home that adjoins your scheme is not part of your body corporate.
It is unlikely that a body corporate would share a water meter with a property next door to it that is completely separate without any formal arrangement. However, if this is the case, your body corporate should obtain further legal advice in relation to retrofitting the body corporate so that it has its own water meter.
A body corporate with a single water meter (that is solely for water supplied to its scheme) must apportion the costs for water usage between lots in accordance with the contribution schedule lot entitlements.
Where there is a single, shared water meter for a scheme, it is widely accepted that this practice will naturally result in lots who use a small amount of water paying more than they would if the lots were individually metered for water usage.
This post appears in Strata News #303.
Hayley Gath
E: [email protected]
W: Mathews Hunt Legal
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Ditto Maggie, I have the same problem.
There are 12 in this strata and it is 1/12th of the water account we each pay.
I do not have a garden, pavers front and back. There is only my son and myself and we keep it to a minimum. In summer our water account can reach $400 or more each.
We are in groups of 3 the middle unit has 2 bedrooms, They are single men that own those, Their gardens are weeds – they are not interested in gardening – the only water their gardens receive is from the rain. But still they pay 1/12th. Strata outgoings does not reflect actual usage. In these days and time there should be a fairer formula for this worked around the percentage of property owned. A friend of mine is 1 of 3 units, his has a bigger property and swimming pool. His water account is calculated at 44% of the account, the other 2 units at 28% each. It is worked on the percentage of property owned in that strata.
Forget the voting within unit owners this should be the law, the system as is stands now is quite unfair.
Our council rates are worked out by a formula that suits the value of the property, area etc, why not water???
Regards,
Charmaine
Discrimination is not allowed in Australia. Everyone is said to be equal.
Everyone except me! I have owned and lived in a unit dwelling for the past 20 years.
The complex of 6 units has the same ONE water meter.
There have been up to six people living in one of the small total of 54 sq mtr unit at different stages. SIX people bathing washing cloths filling child’s play pools-watering quite enjoyment gardens- hosing down courtyards garages rubbish bins and cars. This is just ONE of the units.
I live alone. I am 72 years old.
I do little of the above.
I have been forced to give up my garden – wash my clothes only every three weeks- and try to conserve as much water as possible. In doing so I am trying to reduce my Sixth share of the quarterly water bill which I can not afford as the price of water increases.
Four of the six units in the complex are rented and their rent covers rates and water because of the ONE water meter situation. Therefore the tenants have no need to watch what they use and with it being the price of liquid gold they take full advantage of the situation.
I feel there I am being discriminated against when the owner of the four rented tenanted units had four votes at Body Corporate Level against single water meters being installed.
I am sure I am not the only person in this position being subjected to discrimination and forced to live a substandard level of living.
The law has to change to allow people their right to enjoy a resoniable quite enjoyment of living and pay as you go for water.
I