If you own a rental in Auckland, Watercare bills split into two parts: the fixed service charge and the metered charges based on how much water is used. Mixing those two up is one of the fastest ways for a self-managing landlord to end up in an argument with a tenant. Climber separates every bill, invoices the tenant for their legal share and tracks payment alongside the rent.
What does the landlord pay vs what does the tenant pay?
Under Section 39 of the Residential Tenancies Act, the landlord is responsible for fixed charges that apply whether the property is occupied or not. The tenant is responsible for charges that can be exclusively attributed to their use of the premises.
- Landlord pays: Watercare fixed annual/monthly service charges and council property rates.
- Tenant pays: volumetric water usage and volumetric wastewater charges, provided the property has its own separate water meter.
- Shared meter warning: if two flats share one water meter and you cannot exclusively measure each flat's usage, you cannot charge the tenant for water.
How Climber manages Watercare bills from start to finish
Before the tenant moves in, we record the opening water meter reading on the ingoing inspection report. Watercare remains in the owner's name (managed care of Climber) because Watercare does not open accounts directly in a tenant's name.
Each month when the Watercare bill arrives, our support team splits the fixed charge from the usage and volumetric wastewater. We send the tenant a clear invoice with a copy of the reading and track payment. If a water bill falls overdue, we follow it up before it snowballs into an end-of-tenancy problem.
What happens if a leak spikes the water bill?
A hidden underground pipe leak or a faulty hot water cylinder valve is a landlord maintenance cost, not tenant consumption. If a bill jumps unexpectedly, we check with the tenant, book a plumber through our maintenance process and apply to Watercare for a leak allowance where eligible. If a tenant knew about a running toilet for months and never reported it, that is a different conversation.
Closing the water account when a tenant moves out
At the exit inspection, our inspector photographs the final water meter reading on the day keys come back. We calculate the final usage up to that reading and make sure it is settled before the rental bond is released. For the full legal breakdown on utilities, power, gas and fibre, see our water charges and utilities wiki guide.
Questions landlords ask us
Can I pass the whole Watercare bill on to my Auckland tenant?
No. The fixed service charge must be paid by the landlord. Only the metered water usage and volumetric wastewater charges can be billed to the tenant.
What if my property is a house and minor dwelling on one water meter?
Unless a sub-meter measures the exact usage of each tenancy separately, you cannot charge either tenant for water usage.
Who sets up power, gas and internet?
The tenant sets up and pays their own power, gas and broadband accounts directly with the utility provider when the connection is exclusively for their tenancy.
If you want this handled for a property in Auckland, talk to the Climber team or read how residential property management works with us.