What Is A Water Efficiency Certificate

What Is A Water Efficiency Certificate, And How Can One Help Me?

Do you have an investment property, or are considering renting your house out? Being a landlord can certainly have its advantages, and disadvantages, and all of a sudden instead of making money on your investment, the costs never seem to stop. Well, here’s a great tip to consider that will save you a ton of money. 

Did you know that you can pass on the complete cost of water consumption to your tenant? Sounds fair right, I mean you don’t pay for their power, so why would you pay for their water. There is however one little hurdle that you have to jump. You will need to obtain a Water Efficiency Certificate from a licensed plumber for Queensland. It is up to the landlord or property manager to request a plumber to issue this certificate, however, it is usually pretty easy and straight forward.

Is My House Eligible For a Water Efficient Certificate?

Under the ‘Queensland Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulations Act of 2009’ the following key conditions must be met in order to attain a Water Efficiency Certificate:

• The rental premises must be individually metered or bulk water is delivered by a vehicle.
• All internal cold water taps, except those serving a bath, are to deliver a maximum of 9 litres of water, per minute.
• Showerheads are to have a maximum flow rate of 9 litres per minute.
• Toilets are to be dual flush, with the maximum flush volume of the full flush to be 6.5 litres, and the maximum for the half flush being 3.5 litres.

What Happens If My Property Does Not Meet This Criteria?

It is not the end of the world if your property does not meet all of these criteria. A few simple installations can usually get your property up to scratch such as

• Installing flow restrictors or replacing aerators
• Installing flow restrictors on showers
• Installing dual-flush cisterns that are up to standard
• Installing flow restrictors behind laundry arms etc.
• Repair and leaky taps

Being the rates notice holder you will still receive the account from GCCC and it is still your responsibility to pay for it, but after, providing you have a current Water Certificate, you can provide the tenants with a copy of the water bill and charge them what they owe you. Job done!

Hope this has been of some help, and if you are still unsure feel free to contact us. 09-2322 895