First – does the water service to your rental have its own meter?
If NO, the rental owner is responsible for all charges – including the water consumption.
The only exception here is for public and community housing renters – for you, the Office of Housing can charge you a service fee for your water facilities.
If YES, the renter is responsible for water consumption, but the rental owner is responsible for service charges and reconnection fees.
The only exception here is if a water fixture or pipe (e.g., pipes, taps, hot water) supplied by the rental owner needs replacing. If that instance it must be replaced with an ‘A’ rated product. Failure to do so means the rental owner becomes responsible for water consumption until an ‘A’ rated product is fitted.
In the instance the rental owner fails to replace with an ‘A’ rated product, you should inform them (always in writing) that they will be responsible for water consumption until they replace it correctly. They may refuse to pay, and in that event you can apply to the Tribunal for the rental owner to be ordered to pay.
For more information about water and other utilities, check this page: https://tenantsvic.org.au/advice/during-your-tenancy/utility-charges/83
