Latest news with #waterbilling
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
New Plymouth residents say proposed water charge changes will be unfair
One resident says every dwelling should have its own meter just as they did for electricity and for gas. Photo: LDR / Emily Ireland New Plymouth councillors have been told proposed changes to how water is charged for will be unfair to people living in apartments or on cross-lease sections with multiple dwellings. Currently ratepayers are charged a flat $547 for water, but from 2027 they will be billed at least in part according to volume of water used. Council is considering three options for how those charges would be levied. Fixed charge plus a volumetric charge or a fixed charge plus a volumetric charge with a daily allocation of water (100 litres) or fully volumetric charging. Council received more than 1000 written submissions on the proposals and heard oral presentations at a hearing on Monday. Elaine Gill spoke on behalf of the residents of the Liardet Apartments in the inner-city. She said the 25 apartments - a mix of one to three bedroom apartments, nine of which were rentals, one an AirBnB and 15 owner-occupied - would have just one water meter installed for the whole building. "We want individual council-supplied water meters for each apartment... and there is space where our water is supplied for a meter to be installed." If that wasn't possible the block's residents wanted a fixed charge - based on average residential use in New Plymouth - with volumetric charging. Gill worried about how water use would be calculated . "It's totally unfair. There is a need to recognise that each apartment is different, each has a different number of people living there. "We have one apartment with three bedrooms and one person living in there and one apartment with two bedrooms that has five people living there, and obviously their water usage is going to be very different." Councillor Sam Bennett asked Gill if the apartment owners would be willing to pay to install individual meters. Gill didn't think that was a fair solution either. "If we are talking about equity, if we had 25 individual dwellings in Westown they would all have their own water meter [installed by council]. "Why is it that because we are all packed up one on top of the other that we can't have the same consideration." John Staddon owned rental properties on a cross-leased section and had received a letter from council saying only one meter would be installed and water costs shared between the dwellings. "My concern is that the definition of shared needs some further clarification. For example, where there are two properties on a cross-lease section would sharing be on a 50-50 basis? "If so, what consideration would be made should one of the properties have a family of four, both parents working, two cars, maybe a spa pool, and the other occupant a widow on superanuation? "The use of water by the family would be far higher than the other occupant. A 50-50 share in this scenario is not equitable. Unless there is a formula that recognises the size of the dwelling and number occupants 50-50 sharing is wrong." Staddon said every dwelling should have its own meter just as they did for electricity and for gas. "Payment for electricity or gas is not shared and neither is phone or internet connection, so why then should water charges be." Staddon said as a landlord he would be willing to drop rents if part of the water charge was removed from his rates bill, but he was not willing to pay for the installation of additional meters. Veronica Edwards also owned a cross-lease section with two independent households on it. "Under the current plan we're stuck with one meter. I believe this approach is neither fair or just for people living in multiple dwellings." Mayor Neil Holdom said that for every dollar invested in meters, council expected to make savings of between $4 and $5 over the life of the meter "but in some cases to install meters in every property it may cost us $4000 to $5000 in plumbing, maybe more". Submitter Hannah-Miriam Knuckey said if council insisted that additional meters be paid for by property owners it should pay the upfront costs and allow people to pay the meter off via their rates - interest free - over five to 10 years. Council had so far installed more than 23,000 roadside water meters at a cost of $24 million. It was envisaged they would eventually save council $40 million in capital expenditure by encouraging efficient water use and identifying leaks. The meters had already been credited with identifying 180 leaks, saving 1.75 million litres of water daily in New Plymouth, where water usage was up to two times that of other similar-sized communities. Council would decide on a charging system in August. A year-long "mock billing" trial would start in July next year to allow households to monitor water use, fix leaks and prepare for volumetric charging in beginning July 2027. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Homeowners floored after HOA blunder leaves them on the hook for $50,000 each: 'This sounds criminal'
An alarmed Texas homeowner has alleged that their homeowners association has been overcharging residents for water. The frustrated homeowner took to the r/HOA subreddit to expose the $52,000 worth of bills they were charged over several years. The costly error has left residents with a frustrating battle for reimbursement. The Reddit post detailed this concern about HOA management and utility billing practices. After their HOA transitioned from a developer-controlled board to an elected resident board, the original poster noticed inconsistencies in water meter billing. Meters were being charged with commercial and residential rates. Another strange fact was that all rates were for irrigation only. "This has been ongoing since 2022," the homeowner wrote. They contacted the city for confirmation. Authorities agreed that meters should have been on the lower, non-tiered commercial rate. The homeowner and their management company calculated the excess total to be a whopping $52,000. The city said it offered a $500 credit, citing a city ordinance. This undisclosed regulation limits the credits for billing disputes only up to six months. "This sounds criminal," the distressed homeowner stated. "I'm annoyed at the fact that the developer didn't pay attention to this, I'm annoyed that the city would screw over residents so blatantly, and I'm annoyed that the management company … didn't catch this." This incident underscores the issue of HOA oversight, or lack thereof, that hurts homeowners' wallets. Mismanaged utilities can lead to inflated bills, neglect of essential services, or wasted resources. Beyond finances, HOAs are notorious for preventing homeowners from making money-saving, eco-friendly upgrades. These alternatives include installing rooftop solar panels and water-saving native plant lawns. Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden? Yes Only if it impacts your neighbors Depends on what you're growing Heck no Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Restrictions cost homeowners more in the long run. Gouging will only impede progress toward more sustainable communities. The Texan HOA community is a reminder that HOAs can be perpetrators of arbitrary red tape. Homeowners must remain vigilant and outspoken about their HOA's management and utility billing, and have the ability to work with their HOA to change similar outdated rules. The Reddit post drew a wave of sympathy and outrage from those with HOA woes. "Unlikely criminal, but you should definitely get your legal counsel involved… [The HOA] may be the ones who need to reimburse you as a result of their negligence," one user advised. Another commented: "I used to track the amount of errors that I found and easily had [six-figure] savings… the current board doesn't analyze expenses like I did, so I can only imagine the money that is being improperly spent on top of the other waste." "Maybe get the local news station to do a story. You might get some positive results without a lawyer," a hopeful Redditor suggested. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Watercare to contact Auckland customers after 13,000 faulty meters spark billing chaos
Watercare has revealed that a third of its 40,000 EDMI smart meters are faulty, saying it discovered the issue in October 2024. Photo: Supplied / Watercare The country's largest water supplier says it will start proactively contacting customers about tens of thousands of faulty meters, following a flood of customer complaints. Frustrated Watercare customers have contacted Checkpoint about water bills in the hundreds of dollars, which were received after meters stopped transmitting data about water use. As a result, customers received bills saying they had used zero water for the month and faced paying only the fixed charges. Lizzie from Auckland's North Shore said she investigated her billing after three "zero use" bills and found that their smart meter was no longer transmitting data. "We received a bill that amounted to about $410 for a month's usage. I emailed them and said this is not reasonable. At that point, I revoked the direct debit authority. I made it very clear I was not refusing to pay their bills, but their bills needed to be based in fact and not just plucked out of the air." This week, Watercare revealed that a third of its 40,000 EDMI smart meters are faulty, saying it discovered the issue last October and started returning affected customers to manual reading, leading to ''catch-up'' bills that are higher than previous months. West Auckland customer Kyle said he was on to his second smart meter after the first one stopped sending a signal a few months ago. But he told Checkpoint his water bills are now coming in much higher than he would expect. "Our water bill on average was about $100 or $120 a month, and then it jumped to about $200, and I'm like, 'Yeah, no, that doesn't seem quite right.'" Kyle said Watercare made no effort to contact him about the issue, and it was he who raised it with the company. He said they came back to him and told him his meter had temporarily stopped communicating. Watercare said the EDMI meters were one of two smart meter models that have been rolled out since 2022. "We are really disappointed that this fault has occurred and are working very closely with the supplier to ensure Aucklanders are not out of pocket because of it. All meters are under warranty, and we're still in negotiations with the supplier. For this reason, we can't confirm right now whether we will replace all 40,000 EDMI meters. We are not replacing them until we have confirmed a solution, " said Chief Financial Officer Angela Neeson. Utilities Disputes Commissioner, Neil Mallon, told Checkpoint that he would expect a company with issues with meters to ''be really proactive with communication'' and provide them with information about what to do, such as sending the company data so it can be recorded. "It should be on every bill, really, to let customers know if you've got an estimate or an actual bill, you've got the power to do something about that. To let your provider know." Mellon said water companies were voluntary participants in the scheme, but he would like to see them become mandatory, like energy companies. "I think water and energy are both essential services to Kiwis, and they should be treated consistently. In an ideal world, that's our view. If they were, all Kiwi consumers would be able to come to us if they had a problem with their water provider." Under the current voluntary membership, it's up to Watercare to initiate an investigation into a consumer complaint. Mellon believed that about 5 percent of complaints dealt with by Utilities Disputes relate to water. Watercare has now updated its website with information for customers and said it will proactively contact customers with working EDMI meters from next week, "so that they're aware of the issue, and know to get in touch with us straight away if they get a water bill that incorrectly said they've used no water. This will help to reduce the impact of catch-up bills." Customer last names have been omitted due to privacy concerns. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CBC
27-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Tenants of Halifax mobile home park set water meter precedent across Nova Scotia
People living in mobile home parks around Nova Scotia could be eligible for thousands of dollars in retroactive water bill payments following a "big win" in court for Halifax-area tenants. A Supreme Court of Nova Scotia decision this month upheld an earlier small claims court ruling that found billing tenants for water through water meters was always unreasonable, and awarded retroactive compensation to two residents who had been billed for years. The tenants, Eloise Graves and Nicole Herd of Woodbine Park in Beaver Bank, said it was a tough "David and Goliath power dynamic" to go up against their landlord. But both women said support from fellow tenants kept them going, and they're proud of the result setting a provincewide precedent. "This wasn't about money. This was about making it fair," said Graves, who will receive about $1,700 for the meter fee and retroactive bills since 2021. "It feels awesome. But on the other hand, we kind of [don't] believe it. It's kind of a weird feeling," said Herd, who will get about $2,511 for her bills dating to 2019. Since 2015, the Woodbine landlord charged residents to install meters on homes sold in the park, leading to a tiered system where some residents paid for water and some did not. The meters track how much water a household uses, and those customers are billed every few months. Utilities like water are usually included in lot fees for park residents in Nova Scotia. They are among the operating expenses that landlords can cite when they argue for rent increases. Landlords of mobile home parks, officially called land-lease communities, were directed by the provincial Residential Tenancies Program to stop installing water meters on homes in 2023. But the policy excluded tenants who already had meters. Graves and Herd were among the roughly 300 of Woodbine's 630 homeowners who had meters and continued to get water bills. Both women took their case to small claims court and won in September 2024. But landlord Westphal Court Ltd. appealed, bringing the matter before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. Westphal's lawyer argued the 2023 policy was legally binding and should exclude anyone with water meters from compensation. But in her June 9 decision, Justice Mona Lynch said both the small claims adjudicator and residential tenancies had found water metering an unreasonable rule. "It is not reasonable for that unreasonable rule to continue to apply to the respondents," Lynch said. Nora MacIntosh, a Nova Scotia Legal Aid lawyer, represented Graves and Herd at small claims court. "We don't often get big wins for tenants. So yeah, this is a big win," MacIntosh said. "It provides economic justice to the tenants of land-lease communities, and it deters exploitative practices by landlords." It's unclear how many people could benefit from the decision, but MacIntosh said it is likely hundreds if not thousands of tenants in the province. Service Nova Scotia could not tell CBC News how many land-lease communities are operating in Nova Scotia or how many are using water meters. There are about 30 of these communities with nearly 4,000 homes in the Halifax municipality alone. Westphal Court Ltd. owns six parks, including Woodbine, with a total of about 1,600 homes. Susan McKeage, a spokesperson for Service Nova Scotia, said Lynch's ruling was a "positive decision" for the Woodbine tenants, and the water meter policy has now been revised to include tenants with existing meters on their homes. McKeage said eligible tenants can contact the Residential Tenancies Program to file for their individual compensation. Woodbine tenant Erin McInnis was one of 91 mobile park residents who filed with Service Nova Scotia last year looking for that compensation. Most of those cases have been on hold pending the result of the Supreme Court case. McInnis has had a water meter since 2017 when she moved in, and estimates she might be eligible for about $5,000 in water bills. "It's pretty exciting. Yeah, I'm looking forward to that money back," McInnis said. "Who doesn't need $5,000 in this economy?" But because the residential tenancy process can take so long, especially with potentially hundreds of people filing claims, MacIntosh said landlords should proactively pay back any tenants they've been "improperly charging" for water services. It appears at least one landlord will take that approach. In a letter to tenants on Tuesday, Westphal Court president Heather Scott said they were immediately stopping their practice of charging for water and sewer services in "standalone amounts" in light of the Supreme Court decision. Residents with water meters looking for compensation can send a request in writing to Westphal directly, Scott said, and "we are prepared to work with you to resolve such a claim." They will also work with anyone who has already filed a claim with residential tenancies, Scott said. "We trust that this process will prove to be preferable to all parties as compared to adjudication," Scott said. McInnis is also secretary of the Woodbine Community Non-Profit Society, which has been raising concerns about water meters and other issues in Nova Scotia parks for the past few years. She echoed Graves and Herd's comments that having tenants talk to each other and take action in larger groups has been key to making progress. "When it's just one or two people, that's how things fall between the cracks. But when we come together, we're a force," McInnis said. McInnis said they recently launched the Land Lease Residents of Nova Scotia Non Profit Society that will have a provincewide view on larger issues, with Woodbine and other parks forming subcommittees. She said they have heard from land-lease tenants across Nova Scotia who have said water meters are being used in "lots of places" around the province.
RNZ News
26-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Woman had to beg to pay hefty Watercare bill in instalments after issue with faulty smart meter
The faulty meters means some customers had been getting zero use bills for months. Photo: Nunnicha Supagrit A Watercare customer says she had to beg to pay off a huge catch-up bill in instalments after a faulty smart meter gave her zero-use bills for months. The issue stemmed from Watercare's smart meters, which it told Checkpoint more than 13,000 of were not working . The water supplier had known about problems with one type of smart meter since October last year, and the fault had so far affected about one third of the 40,000 meters installed since 2022. Hamideh, from West Auckland's Henderson, told Checkpoint, she had complained to Watercare more than once about an issue with her smart meter which began in November last year, but while waiting for the issue to be fixed she was sent a bill to the amount of $219. "It was shocking - I was not prepared for it." She had lost her job a few months ago and knew she wouldn't be able to afford to pay off the bill in one go. "I called Watercare and asked to pay in instalments and they said no, not possible. I explained I lost my job and was told that I should have saved for it." After about 25 minutes on the phone, Hamideh said it was accepted she could pay in instalments. "But there's still no reading on my water meter. I was quite pissed off when she told me I had to save for it. "They told me the meter just stopped syncing data... they didn't communicate the problem with their customers. It's been seven months and no solution." Watercare chief financial officer Angela Neeson told Checkpoint she was really sorry to hear about Hamideh's experience and said it needed resolving. "That it's taken seven months to resolve does sound unusual." Neeson said when Watercare realised there was an issue with the smart meters processes were put in place to identify when the meters started to become faulty. "The process does take a couple of months because the first month of a zero read could just be someone on holiday or out of the house but after the second month we move the customer to a manual read," she said. She acknowledged there was nothing on the Watercare website about the faulty meters and said Watercare had "been focused on liasing with the customers". "We watch for month two to identify when there is potentially a faulty meter." Watercare had now stopped installing that particular meter, Neeson confirmed but she did not give a timeline on how long it would take to replace the faulty ones. "We will always look and how we can do better and we're considering whether we don't wait that one month after a zero read to investigate so that it shortens that period for customers. "We are always looking at how we can do things better". Neeson confirmed water bills would increase 7.2 percent at the start of July which she said reflected the cost of running the operations and becoming financially independent. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
