My tenants don’t pay for water bills. How can I encourage them to report a leak?

If your tenants aren’t responsible for paying their water bills, they may be less inclined to inform you about a leak in their home.  There's several reasons tenants may not let landlord's know about a leak:

• They may not know that there is a leak.  Many leaks are hidden and often it's a sudden increase in your water bill that alerts you to a potential leak.  If your tenant doesn't receive the water bill they won't know about an increase in cost.  
• They may know that there is a small leak, but may not understand how much this is costing you each year.  Even small leaks can amount to thousands of dollars wasted.  We recommend you send renters our ‘how to find and fix leaks’ article so that they know how to check for leaks, how to report them and what to keep an eye out for. 
• They may not be aware of the impact the water leak has on Darwin's water supply.  Many people believe that Darwin has an endless supply of water.  This is a myth.  In fact, in Darwin we use more water than can be captured and supplied in the long term and everyone needs to play their part to be water smart. Help us to educate the Darwin community about the need for water efficiency, and potentially save yourself some money, by sharing the 'Why save Water?'  article with your tenants.  

Lastly, touch base with your tenant each time you receive your water bill to check if they have noticed any taps leaking, toilets running or green patches on the lawn indicating a leak in the irrigation.  It's in your interest as a landlord and is also important to the Darwin community.