In most cases during the property settlement process, the solicitors will do a pro-rata adjustment to accommodate water consumption charges that were applicable to the previous owner. Council does not adjust water consumption charges as part of the property settlement process. Even when all or part of the water usage was by the previous owner, the notice will be issued to the current property owner and is the current property owners responsibility. To confirm if an adjustment for water consumption has been made during the property settlement, please refer to your property settlement documents or contact your solicitor to confirm the breakdown of any adjusted rates and charges.

Sometimes when property settlements occur around the rates issue period, the Rate Notice may be issued to the previous owner. At times it can take up to three months for Council to receive notification of the new ownership details from the titles office or to make any necessary property adjustments due to other circumstances that may affect how the property is rated. If this occurs, contact Council and the status of the change of ownership can be checked.

If your water usage is higher than expected, it may be due to one of the reasons below. Receiving your water consumption advice or reviewing your water usage reports on MySDRC Water is often a good prompt to your review your water use habits. Check out these water saving guides to help reduce your water consumption and save money!

• Number of days of water usage: Your water rate notice may vary slightly each half year due to the number of days in between meter readings. You can calculate your daily usage by taking the number of litres used and dividing that by the number of days in the billed period (check the dates on your bill). You can then do the same for the previous bill to compare if there has been a change in water use.
• The season: Water use may increase during the warmer, drier months particularly if you have been watering a garden or lawn. Keep this in mind when comparing your current daily usage to the usage during the previous billing period.
• Increase in household size: If the number of people in your household has increased since the last billing period, your water use will probably increase too. Even short term visitors can cause a variation in water usage.
• Automatic watering: It's easy to forget your automatic watering system and it could be using water that is not required.
• Home renovations or improvements: During building renovations or other home improvements such as a newly laid lawn, your water consumption may increase.
• New appliances or fittings: Your water use might have increased if you have installed new appliances or fittings such as a dishwasher, washing machine, evaporative air-conditioner, irrigation, shower heads or taps.
• Leaks: Leaks can occur anywhere on your property and may not always be able to be seen. Find out more about how to identify leaks and how to do a Water Meter Leakage Test.

It is important to note that the property owner is responsible for the water infrastructure on the property’s side of the water meter.  This includes the repairs of any leaks in pipes or fixtures. 

Before any repairs are undertaken to your water infrastructure, please note the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2019 states that all repair work classified as Notifiable Work must be undertaken by a licensed plumber.  For more information on what is classified as Notifiable Work, please contact Council.

Yes, it is the property owners’ responsibility to keep the water meter boxes free from debris, grass, garden mulch, soil and other obstacles. This is important if the property owner requires quick access to the stop tap to turn the water off to the property if there is a water leak or burst pipe to minimise water loss and/or property damage.

Council has adopted water restrictions that apply to all residents in the Southern Downs region with a reticulated water supply. This includes domestic water and raw water from Council water supply. Water restrictions also apply to residents purchasing domestic water from bulk water supply sources. Please review the SDRC website for information on the current level of restriction