flapsterhp

Hi all, just out of interest do you have council tax in oz like in the u.k. Also how would you compare the cost of living in general between oz and u.k. many thanks

Sir Les Patterson

hi they still have the rates system in oz ,..... where we are going on the gold coast we are looking at around au$1400 for a good sized 3-4 bedroomed family home

Merlot

Not sure if you are renting or buying, if renting it is paid for by your landlord.

M

flapsterhp

thanks for that, cheaper than here then

ABCDiamond

Our rates, in SEQLD, are about $1,800 per year, for a slightly larger house, but that does include water aswell.

In NSW we pay $1,140 per year excluding water, as that is billed separately in NSW. Our Water Bills in NSW vary between $550 and $900 per year depending on water restrictions in force.


Cost of living in general ? It varies, some things are cheaper others are more expensive. Different people have different views, some say it is cheaper in the UK others say it is more expensive.

One thing I have learnt, is that as a new person in any area, you will not know the best places to buy things, and will often end up paying more than the locals, who know the area

Ceri

Depends on the state regarding renting and paying for the water, rates the landlord pays - but water depends on the state . NSW the landlord is within their rights for the tenant to pay for their own water usage. I used to rent a house in NSW, and got billed for it, monthly or quarterly , I can't remember which - but the bills were from the direct body and not from the landlord - There used to be a metre outside on the pavement for each house.
I also did have a NSW renting rights booklet at the time, and the landlord is well within his rights for the tenants to pay for their own water, as it is not included in their rate bills
.

Qld no, the landlord can not make you pay for your water usage, probably due to because it is in the rates bills and landlords can not charge you for their rates they recieve. RTA Of QLD rules.

so check out your state for renting rules - they differ from to state to state. ( NSW when I was renting there too, could not force you to get you to professionally clean carpets before you left - QLD yes they do - it all differs from state to state certain things)

My water is in my rates here in Qld. What they do with my rates ( don't know if this alters from council to council here in QLD the way they bill you with your water in the rates bill) they allocate a certain amount of water, you pay this in advance in your rate bill. If you use above the allocated amount of water you will be charged excess for it. If you do not use the allocated amount of water which you have paid for, you get a rebate for that XXX amount of $$ in your next yearly rate bill, which I always get as we don't use the allocated amount of water as there just two of us.

Different councils, different states etc etc - all have their own way of billing.

Rates are definitely cheaper here than in the Uk
cost of living in total, at the end of the day, personally I find it there about the same in the long run - it's swings and roundabouts
cheers

ABCDiamond

Just in case anyone reads this and thinks they can use as much water for free as they like, the QLD regs state: Landlords are entitled to charge only, where it is unreasonable usage after taking into account:
The average water usage in the area and How many people will be living in the premises.
But only where premises are individually metered.

Ceri

too:

They can not charge you for the water that is allocated to them in their rates ( quote landlords can not charge you for their rates they recieve - ie, meaning that you pay for your Water a year in advance in the rates , this advance payment of rates includes allocated water and not excessive water usuage , is that clear now? yes if the next year if this excessive usuage on the rates for the previous year - allocated water - no)

It would have to one hell of a lot of excessive usuage for any landlord to have a case.

I wonder how many Tenants you know in Qld who have been charged for excessive usuage of water while renting in Qld . I personally know of none.

http://www.google.com.au/ ( you may find some stats on the fav search engine )

cheers

ABCDiamond

No, that bit is not clear
Does your council charge you in advance for your water usage ?

Mine charges after they have checked the meter to see what we have used.
ie: In QLD, my payment to them on 3/5/05 was for water used from 23/11/04 to 22/2/05, and billed on 8/4/2005.

And it is all separated into Water Access, Water Consumption, and Sewerage.

Sections 90 and 91A of the Residential Tenancies Act does state that it can be charged. http://www.rta.qld.gov.au/charging_f...l_property.cfm

If you read page 5 of the PAMD Form 20a for tenancy agrement, you will see the section (I: Services) that allows for water to be either paid or not paid by the Tenant. This is chosen by the Landlord, and the tenant has the option to rent elsewhere if they don't like it.

I personally do not charge the tenant, as I like them to water the gardens etc without fear of having to pay for the water. I was advised this by the Rental Agent.

Therefore a Landlord is allowed to charge for excess usage as follows:
I would assume that renters in YOUR council area may be able to avoid these charges due to the way your council makes you pay in advance. But this does not apply everywhere, so, if it is a concern, then people should check it out on their own tenancy agreement.

Ceri

My water is charged in advance in my rates , as I have said, they allocate you so much water usuage per household - if you go over this, you are charged excess water in the next rate bill, if you are under you next rate bill there is a deduction on the next rate bill, which we get as we don't use our allocated amount - as said in my previous post that it depends on the councils the way they bill you.

again it is for excess usuage the charges that they can lay on the tenant

ABCDiamond

I read this bit and
The fact is, that in many areas, the Landlord CAN specify what excess usage is, ie: based on "above average use", and the QLD RTA confirm that water can be charged, in some circumstances.

Which I think we both agree on