Bills whilst renting

[Ruth1]

Sorry if this is a stupid/obvious question but I just wanted to double check which bills you pay as a tennant. I know that council tax is the landlords responsibility in Aus unlike when renting in the UK, but I assume the tennant pays gas/electricity. I wasnt sure about water rates as Ive read conflicting things about this. Also what other hidden charges are there such as bonds etc that I need to budget for?

[JetBlast]

I live in SA and I pay for Gas, Electricity and water usage and supply.The sewerage charge (part of the water bill) is paid by the landlord. Usually they will pay the whole bill and invoice you for the usage charge.

Council Rates and Emergency Service Levy is paid for by the landlord.

There is no TV Licence.

You will also have pay for internet and contents insurance if you want it. If the property is brand new and has never been connected to NBN you will face a $300 connection fee. If the property has been connected before or is an older existing that has never been connected to NBN there is no connection charge.

You might have to pay for certain pest control services - if you require them - https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/housing/renting-and-letting/renting-privately/during-a-tenancy/Repairs-and-maintenance

There is the bond charge. This money is held by the state government.

This is for South Australia so other states may vary.

 

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by JetBlast

[beketamun]

8 hours ago, Ruth1 said:

Sorry if this is a stupid/obvious question but I just wanted to double check which bills you pay as a tennant. I know that council tax is the landlords responsibility in Aus unlike when renting in the UK, but I assume the tennant pays gas/electricity. I wasnt sure about water rates as Ive read conflicting things about this. Also what other hidden charges are there such as bonds etc that I need to budget for?

for water you just need to confirm if it's in or out....if it's in you need to see the bills and you evaluate that against your rental cost. It's not expensive really.  We were presented with 3 years of water bills when we left our rental many years ago. We argued and didn't pay it, the assumption was that water was included in the rental as we had never been presented with a bill and the landlady had done a dodgy by putting two houses on 1 meter so our house was never even registered....luckily the landlady had no idea anyway and hadn't checked anything herself, so we were fine.

We had a new property and got the landlord to pay for the physical installation of a Telstra line...it used to be that it was required for emergencies so was necessary building infrastructure.  Now with NBN and mobile technology taking over...it's grey.   It's worth going to NBN checker and putting the address in, to see what technology mix the property has.  Assuming you're not in the outback, it should be pretty simple.   If you're already connected, which you should be, you choose an ISP deal and they sell you your internet connection over NBN infrastructure, you don't need to contact NBN itself unless the physical connection is not there in the first place.  If it's not connected to anything, i would try the landlord and see if they will pay that initial connection charge, as it will obviously be a property improvement available for all future tenants.

https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address

For the bond, take photo's on the day you take up the lease.  Occasionally at the end of the lease unscrupulous landlords try and claim back stuff like dead grass and relaying turf, or worn out carpets....and they'll try and take this from the rental bond so they don't have to return it to you.  You don't have to improve anything for them, just maintain and hand it back in the same state, allowing for normal wear and tear.  If you've torn a hole in the wall.....yeah, the bond will be used to cover repairs.

Edited January 16, 2022 by beketamun

[Metoo]

We rent out a property in QLD.  We pay for the Building house insurance, but not contents. We also cover the rates and the water bill, up to a set amount of Litres. Any usage above this amount is payable by the tenant as “excess water usage” this is in case they leave water sprinklers etc on or leave taps running unnecessarily.

Telephone and internet is paid by the tenant, as is electricity and gas.  Our property has bottled gas which lasts for absolutely ages, 2 full bottles were supplied when they moved in and there should be 2 full bottles left when they move out.

Our tenants are great, we wish to keep them so we look after them. Repairs are carried out promptly, and anything that will make their lives more comfortable we oblige if it’s within reason.  We have just had additional fly screens fitted for example at their request. 
 

We will be fitting an additional split system air con for them and we have had a massive tree removed from the garden as it was dropping litter all over the washing line.

They pay us a good rent so we look after them as best we can. everyone is happy

[Marisawright]

Whether you pay water bills wlil depend what state you're in, as the rules vary.  I can't recall what NSW is.

The NBN is the Australian internet service.  Like a lot of renters, I haven't bothered getting connected.  We just use our mobile phones to provide wifi for the whole house.  There's just two of us, we are on our computers and tablets most of the day (playing games, watching videos and sometimes even working!),  but we're not signed up to any streaming services, and we have no problems with speed.  However your browsing habits may be different, and you'll also have to check what reception is like in PM.  

You'll pay a rental bond (equal to one month's rent) when you sign the lease, plus a month's rent in advance.  You get your bond back when you move out, provided there's no damage to the property.    @beketamun has given good advice - take a photo of every small defect or damage in the house when you move in.  Otherwise some landlords will try to  blame you and deduct the cost from your bond.  

Having said that, the NSW Tribunal is very good at putting landlords and agents in their place.  If you end up in a dispute, it's often enough to say you'll take the matter to the Tribunal and that's enough to shut them up. 

[Parley]

11 minutes ago, Metoo said:

We rent out a property in QLD.  We pay for the Building house insurance, but not contents.

Do you realise things like your carpets, curtains, air conditioners, heating system aren't covered under building insurance.

If you have a fire you could be up for the cost of all these?

[Metoo]

2 hours ago, Parley said:

Do you realise things like your carpets, curtains, air conditioners, heating system aren't covered under building insurance.

If you have a fire you could be up for the cost of all these?

I’ve checked our landlords insurance policy, we are covered for up to $10,000 of our own contents as well as the building cover. The tenants contents are not however covered on this policy, they need their own insurance. 
 

good point though Parley, you had me worried there for a moment. 

[Ruth1]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies-that has cleared things up for me!

[BeachBabe2022]

On 16/01/2022 at 22:43, Ruth1 said:

Sorry if this is a stupid/obvious question but I just wanted to double check which bills you pay as a tennant.

.

Depends

Usually (but not all the time) the landlord pays local council rates and water usage.

And the tenant pays their own usage of gas and electricity.

Try to get somewhere, where you don't pay water rates, as it can be very expensive (especially if you have to maintain a garden in dry areas). We found this out after five years of renting without water bills, and then our contract was changed, and the extra expense was a shock

I currently pay $400 a week, with all bills included.

Look around, as loads of variances to what you pay