Renting a property

The landlord or managing agent is responsible for paying us.

However, if your property has a water meter, your landlord or managing agent may ask you to pay for the water you use. They should inform you of the water usage charges on the water bill. This is in line with section 39 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010. When you move out, your landlord or managing agent will arrange a meter reading so you can pay the final amount you owe.

If the landlord doesn't pay

If the water bill hasn't been paid for some time, your water may be restricted even if you've already paid your landlord. If you can't contact your landlord, you can pay us directly to avoid restriction. You can recover the costs from your landlord or deduct the charges from your rent under the Sydney Water Act 1994.

There are a few ways to check you're being charged correctly for your water usage:

• Compare the water you use in your household to a water-efficient household – use our water efficiency targets.
• Know how to read your water meter.
• Find out how much water your household uses every day – calculate average daily water usage.
• Find out the cost of the water your household has used over a specified time – calculate water usage charge.
• Check our current water usage charges.

If you want to cut down on the water you use, follow the tips below to save water and money.

Follow our water saving tips for ways to use less water in your home and garden. And always follow the current Water Wise Guidelines.

If your water usage has increased and there's no explanation (like guests, longer showers or filling a pool), see if you can detect a leak. Fixing a leak can be the quickest way to save water.

• Report visible leaks like dripping taps or toilets to your landlord or managing agent.
• If you can't see the leak, your landlord or managing agent should contact a plumber or WaterFix® Concealed Leaks. If a licensed plumber or qualified technician finds and repairs a hidden leak after the bill's been paid, the property owner can apply for a hidden leak allowance on the bill. If you've paid for water lost through the hidden leak, they should pass the refund on to you.

• For updates on work in your area, register for SMS service alerts.
• To see if low water pressure or no water is due to nearby work, check your property's water supply status.

If you've been injured or your property has been lost or damaged because of work we've done, we will investigate.

Our Payment Assistance Scheme (PAS) provides emergency relief to eligible tenants struggling to pay water bills. See how we can help to pay your water bill.

We've identified many services that offer other help and support. Fill in our confidential help and support form or call us on 1800 222 280 8am–5:30pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays).

We send newsletters to all residential and business property owners, and managing agents, with quarterly water bills.

• Waterwrap, for residential customers, contains information about how to save water, community events and projects, ways to help with your bill and lots more.
• Business Update, for non-residential customers, helps businesses stay across our services, understand our rules and regulations around trade waste, and get support if they need it.

Our Customer Contract is part of our Operating Licence and is legally binding. It's our service guarantee. It outlines our customers' rights and obligations using our services and sets the minimum standards of customer service that you can expect from us. It also outlines our rights and obligations to help us meet our key objectives. Our latest Customer Contract applies to all customers from 1 July 2024, and will continue to apply until they're no longer a customer receiving our services.

You're covered by the Customer Contract if you live in a property that is:

• connected to our drinking water system, recycled water system or wastewater system and is within our area of operations,
• within a declared stormwater drainage area or the Rouse Hill stormwater catchment area.

If there are changes to the Customer Contract, they'll be published on our website and in a local daily newspaper.