If you are able to charge for water usage, deciding whether to include water costs within rent is a commonly debated issue. For the most part, administering water accounts is a tedious job, especially when faced with a high volume of water. A simple solution is to include the water costs within the rent each week. This will not only lower administration costs, but tenants generally love the simple approach to the issue. Alongside this, achieving a higher rent can often lead to a better style of tenant and a higher return on paper.
Reasonably, there are some fears surrounding water included within a tenant’s rent. Abuse of water usage leading to the total amount not being absorbed within the rental figure is the primary concern, however, there are numerous ways to avoid this occurring:
Review a number of past water rates and average them out to a weekly amount.
Build in a safe amount of extra dollars to ensure you are not left short.
Commit to shorter tenancy terms, allowing a clear opportunity to review and increase the rental figure if required.
Ultimately, there are benefits to either method of absorbing the cost of water usage in your property. Reassuringly, if you have a property manager looking after your investment property, this is something they generally organise on your behalf. Property Managers can also insert clauses within the tenancy to protect you from excessive water use.
