Approximately 17% of Australians live in Strata title homes, such as apartments or townhouses. In Queensland, 7% of the state’s population live in apartments and we are seeing increased growth in the construction of strata and community titles property construction. Out of all the Strata properties in Australia, over half are at least 20 years old, suggesting that they most likely have an outdated, shared water-meter system.

Strata Water often isn’t fair, and here’s why:

The billing system for water meters in apartments and Strata properties is commonly managed as a split-bill scheme. This means every owner pays the same share of the total water bill, regardless of the number of residents or how much water they actually used.

This becomes unfair for the owners who aren’t consuming as much water as others, maybe because they’re particularly water conscious, a smaller family or they only occupy their apartment for a few weeks during the year. Yet they’re still paying the same fraction of the total usage.

A Strata Water Solution

To address this problem, unit and apartment owners as well as strata managers and developers are turning to Strata water solutions like Fair Water Meters. Our innovative sub-metering devices can be quickly and easily installed in existing buildings, empowering occupants to accurately measure their water consumption.

With two types of ECO sub-meters to choose from, your Strata building can install separate water meters for each unit. Owner’s charges are then based on how much water they actually use – not an arbitrary amount.

If the sub-meters are installed inside the property boundary, unit owners don’t necessarily need Body Corporate approval but it’s advised to inform them anyway so they can consider sub-metering the whole complex.

With our simple but precise drive-by meter reading, meter read data is sent to our advanced billing platform, where usage charges are accurately calculated. Invoices are then emailed to Owners on a quarterly basis by Fair Water Bills. Landlords can easily have their emailed invoices copied directly to their property managers for on-charging usage to their tenant. We understand that no two Strata properties are alike and thus offer tailored options that suit your individual Strata’s needs.

Ready to start paying fair water bills? Get a sub-metering quote today.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of a sub-metering system for apartment owners are numerous.

From a financial perspective, Strata sub-metering allows owners to only pay for the water they use, rather than having to split the bill with their neighbours regardless of whether their unit is vacant. This can mean significant financial savings over time for Strata owners and on average a 15-35% reduction in residential water usage. Our ECO sub-meters also come with automatic leak detection and alerting capabilities, helping owners detect any potential water damage early on, before that small problem becomes a big, expensive problem..

Lastly, there are benefits for Owner Investors too, the most valuable being the ability to recoup measured water usage from their tenant. There is also the benefit from increased appeal to prospective buyers, with individually metered water creating a more sustainable and harmonious community.

If you’re tired of paying unfair water bills and want to be rewarded for your conscious water usage, consider switching to our sub-metering system. Read more about Fair Water Meter’s sub-metering process here, or reach out to us for a quote.