Unpaid Tenant Water Bills

Owner/Landlord Information - Protecting Yourself

From time to time, the Utility Billing Section has difficulty collecting payment for water and wastewater services from account holders. Where the delinquent account holder is a tenant, and the Utility Billing Section is unable to collect amounts owing, the City of Brandon will, under the authority under Section 252 of The Municipal Act, transfer those amounts to the property taxes of the owner. With this in mind, it may be in your best interests to have water and wastewater charges billed to you, instead of billing the tenant directly. As owner/landlord, the choice is yours.

Utilities Disconnect Form

What can owners do to protect themselves against unpaid tenant bills?

• Ensure that our Utility Billing Section (UT) is aware of all properties belonging to you where a landlord/tenant relationship exists. We will provide you with important information which may save you money.
• Ensure any arrangements you make with your tenant(s) regarding payment of their water and wastewater bill are recorded in the TENANCY AGREEMENT. You may wish to note in the Tenancy Agreement that the tenant is responsible for providing meter readings when requested to do so.
• Contact our UT periodically to learn about the status of your tenant(s) accounts, and to ensure that tenants are providing regular water meter readings. It is important to ensure the bills tenants are paying are based on actual readings, as estimated bills may not reflect actual consumption. If ‘under billing’ occurs due to estimates, it could lead to significant problems for landlords in those situations where tenants do not pay their final bill, should there be plumbing or waste issues that go undetected because the meter is not read.

The notice should raise consideration of the following option:

• Where requested in writing by an owner, our UT will arrange for disconnection of water services to a rental property if a tenant’s bill is more than 30 days in arrears. This does not represent a standing order. The owner will be required to submit a written request for each tenant and on each occasion. There is a $75 charge for disconnection and an additional $75 for reconnection of the service which will be added to the tenant’s account. If the charges remain unpaid, the account will be added to the property taxes of the owner.
• Advise the UT when a tenant is vacating your premises and provide a final meter reading and forwarding information on the day the tenant leaves. We can immediately calculate for you the amount outstanding so you know what to collect before the tenant departs. When issued, a final bill will be sent to both the tenant and the owner.
• Please provide the UT with the name and pertinent information of the new account holder, even in those situations where a property is to remain vacant for a period of time. If the name of a new tenant is not provided, the account will be transferred into the owner’s name.
• The UT will not negotiate payment extensions or alternative payment arrangements with tenants. Tenants are responsible for obtaining the owner's consent for alternate payment arrangements.

Call the Utility Billing Section TO ENSURE ALL BILLS HAVE BEEN PAID BEFORE RETURNING THEIR TENANCY DEPOSIT. Allow sufficient clearing time for payments made by cheque.

What is the city doing to protect owners against unpaid tenant bills?

• If the Utility Billing Section becomes aware of a resident who is receiving service at a new address while still owing for service provided at a previous address, we will forward any unpaid bills to the former tenant’s current address.
• If a bill is 90 days overdue at October 15th of any year, a letter is sent to the owner advising that, unless the account is paid by a prescribed date, the account will be transferred to the owner's property taxes for the related property prior to the end of December.

Before you rent out any type of housing unit, the City of Brandon asks that you consider the following:

• Do contact the Province of Manitoba Residential Tenancies Branch. The Residential Tenancies Branch provides valuable information to landlords and tenants on their rights and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act. Fact sheets are available on various topics of interest to landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Branch investigates possible breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act and provides background information to resolve disputes; attempts to mediate disputes between landlords and tenants, including claims for compensation; adjudicates all matters which previously were referred to Court of Queen's Bench and Small Claims Court.

  Contact the Residential Tenancies Branch Wpg Office at:
  302-254 Edmonton Street,
  Winnipeg, MB R3C 3Y4
  Phone toll-free: 1-800-656-848

• Check plumbing fixtures for leaks. Even small leaks in plumbing fixtures can cost you or your tenants hundreds of dollars in unnecessary water and wastewater charges and may end up on your tax bill.
• Consider installing water conservation devices, including low-flow showerheads, low-flow faucet aerators, and early-closure toilet flappers. These items are low-cost, easy to install, and will provide substantial savings in water/wastewater charges for years to come. Talk with tenants about the importance of water conservation. Check out the provincial website for conservation tips as well. www.ec.gc.ca/water
• If you are planning to rent to an individual receiving social assistance from the Province of Manitoba, please contact the Employment and Income Assistance Office in your area. See the telephone listing under Government of Manitoba, Family Services, in the back section of the White Pages MTS Telephone Directory.
• As of October 2001, the City of Brandon has undertaken a new initiative to further reduce the number of delinquent tenant accounts that are added to the taxes of the property owner. Any tenant account that is more than 60 days in arrears will be sent to a collection agency selected through the City’s tendering process (this is done only upon request of the landloard and only on historical or inactive accounts). In order to recover the collection commission, the City will add a 30% fee to the tenant’s account before sending it to the collection agency. If the deadline arrives for the water to be added to the taxes and payment has not been received, the fee will be removed from the account before it is added to the property taxes.