Saving water leads to lower costs. Rented properties must meet certain water efficiency requirements before a landlord can charge a tenant for water usage. More requirements started on 23 March 2020.
Landlords must ensure that:
shower heads have a maximum flow rate of 9 litres a minute
internal cold water taps and single mixer taps for kitchen sinks and bathroom basins have a maximum flow rate of 9 litres a minute
there are no leaking taps or toilets anywhere on the property at the start of the tenancy
whenever water efficiency measures are installed, repaired or upgraded, the landlord must check there are no leaking taps or toilets, and
from 23 March 2025: all tenanted premises in NSW must have a dual flush toilet with a minimum 3-star WELS rating: waterrating.gov.au
Information on the new measures is included in both the Tenant Information Statement and the Landlord Information Statement: fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/renting/starting-a-tenancy#howtostartatenancy
More information on water efficiency measures is available on the Changes to the residential tenancy laws webpage on our website: fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/about-fair-trading/legislation-and-publications/changes-to-legislation/new-residential-tenancy-laws#water