Utility Bills, the Municipality, Landlords, and Tenants
水电费、市政部门、房东与租客
How does the city deal with water bills when a tenant is renting a property that is under your name?
How cities in Ontario manage water bills for tenants
Many cities in Ontario have specific processes in place on how to manage payment of water bills. Some allow property owners to place the bill under the tenant’s name. Other municipalities, like the City of Toronto, will send a copy of the bill to your tenant but the bill remains under the landlord’s name.
You would typically find this information either on the city’s website or through contacting your city’s local distribution company. You can Find Your Local Distribution Company through the Independent Electricity System Operator’s database. It is a comprehensive list!
To give you an idea on how this works, I have compiled some information from a few cities and how they manage water billing between landlords and tenants.
When a tenant defaults on paying their water bill
租户拖欠水费时
In the same way that some cities offer ways for you to provide your tenants with water bills, they also outline late payment charges for defaulting tenants. Each city will have its own by-laws that lists out the late charges. You will also find this on your city’s website.
一些城市会提供方法让你为租户代缴水费，同时也规定了逾期付款租户需缴纳的滞纳金。每个城市都有自己的地方法规，详细列出滞纳金标准，这些信息通常也会在该城市的官网上公布。
The table below gives you a rough idea on how the charges work.
下表大致说明了收费方式。
You might think that this does not happen often. Wrong. It happens more often than not, and tenants have more unpaid water bills than homeowners living in their property. The issue of tenants defaulting on water bills have garnered significant political attention in the past few years.
你或许认为这种情况并不常见。错了。实际上这是常有的事，租客拖欠水费的情况比自住业主更为普遍。租客拖欠水费的问题在过去几年引发了极大的政治关注。
A 2021 report by the treasurer of the Town of Collingwood showed some interesting statistics. The town had $235,100 in arrears for water. Out of this amount, $126,400 were from tenant accounts. This means that 54% of unpaid water bills came from tenant accounts.
A科林伍德镇财务主管2021年报告展示了一些有趣的数据。该镇的水费欠款总额为235,100美元，其中126,400美元来自租户账户。这意味着54%的未付水费来自租户账户。
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In 2022, a B.C. landlord loses bid to evict renter over $3K in unpaid utilities, as reported by CTV. The non-payment of water bills by tenants have reached municipal debates in the Collingwood, City of Cambridge, Barrie, and Saskatoon. Like I said, this is not an anomaly.
2022年，一款BC省房东因租户拖欠3000加元水电费而驱逐未果。据CTV报道，租客不缴水费的问题已上升至市政讨论层面。科林伍德, 剑桥市, 巴里和萨斯卡通如我所说，这并非异常。
Consequences of Unpaid Water Bills for Landlords
房东欠缴水费的后果
You didn’t cause the problem. It was not you who defaulted on paying the bills. But you will pay the price. It will show on your property taxes, water certificate and could even lead to disconnection of water supply to your property.
问题并非因你而起，欠缴账单的也不是你。但代价却要由你承担——这将在你的房产税、用水凭证上体现，甚至可能导致你家的供水被切断。
Unpaid amounts to your property tax roll with extra fees
未缴纳的房产税账单将附加额外费用
Late charges will continue to accrue.
滞纳金将持续累积。
At the end of the year, any unpaid balances on the part of your tenant will be accumulated and added to YOUR property tax. This often also includes an additional fee on top of that. The City of Toronto will add all unpaid amounts, plus interest, plus a fee of $48.65 to your property tax!
年底时，租客未支付的任何费用都将累计并附加到您的房产税中。通常还会在此基础上额外收取一笔费用。多伦多市政府会将所有未付金额加上利息，以及48.65加元的费用一并计入您的房产税！
Water certificate 水质认证
Water certificates give details about any unpaid balances on water accounts and are commonly requested when buying or selling a property. You or a lawyer can request one from the city when finalizing a real estate transaction. Any unpaid amounts will show here and adversely impact the value of your property.
水费账单详细列明水费账户中的未结余额，通常在房产买卖时需要提供此类证明。在房地产交易完成阶段，您或律师可向市政部门申请该证明。任何未缴款项均会在此显示，并对您的房产价值产生负面影响。
Water disconnection断水
In some cases, the city may disconnect your property’s water connection. Such is the case for the Municipality of North Grenville, where water supply is disconnected for houses with unpaid water bills exceeding 90 days. Due notices will be sent to the customers first.
在某些情况下，市政府可能会切断您房产的供水连接。北格伦维尔市就是如此，对拖欠水费超过90天的房屋将停止供水。届时会事先向用户发出正式通知。
Ensuring your contact details with the city are up to date will allow you to act on this before it is too late. Most often, cities charge a reconnection fee to restart water supply to your property. This is on top of unpaid amounts and interest on those amounts!
确保您的联系方式在市政府的记录中是最新的，这样您就能及时采取行动，避免为时已晚。通常情况下，城市会收取重新连接的费用来恢复您房产的供水。这笔费用是在未付金额及其利息之外额外收取的！
Ontario’s Legislation Allowing Transfer of Unpaid Water Bills to Property Taxes
安大略省立法允许将未缴水费转入房产税
In Ontario, municipalities have the authority to manage various services like water, gas, sewage, and waste management. To ensure that residents pay for these services, municipalities work under a legal framework, which includes Ontario regulations and the Municipal Act. Together, these laws enable municipalities in Ontario to manage and collect unpaid utility fees
在安大略省，各市拥有管理水、天然气、污水及垃圾处理等公共服务的权限。为确保居民支付相关费用，市级政府依据包括安省法规和《市政法案》在内的法律框架运作。这些法律共同授权安大略省各市对拖欠公共事业费用进行追缴管理。
Here’s how they relate and how fees are handled:
以下是它们之间的关系及费用处理方式：
Relationship between Ontario Regulation 581/06 and the Municipal Act
《安大略省条例581/06》与《市政法案》之间的关系
Municipalities provide essential services, and when residents fail to pay their utility bills, the municipality has a way to recover those costs. Ontario Regulation 581/06 gives certain utility fees and charges “priority lien status.” This means that if someone doesn’t pay for services like water or waste management, these unpaid charges can be added to their property taxes, ensuring the municipality can still collect the money.
市政机构提供基础公共服务，当居民未缴纳水电费等公用事业费用时，市政部门可通过特定机制追讨欠款。根据安大略省第581/06号条例，部分公用事业费用被赋予”优先留置权”地位。这意味着若用户拖欠水费或垃圾处理费等，相关未付款项可追加至其房产税中缴纳，从而保障市政资金回收渠道。
Municipal Act, 2001, Section 398(2)
《2001年市政法案》第398条第2款
The Municipal Act grants municipalities broad authority to collect unpaid utility charges. Section 398(2) of the Municipal Act explains the process municipalities can follow to recover unpaid utility fees:
《市政法案》赋予市政当局广泛的权力以收取未缴纳的公用事业费用。该法案第398条第2款阐明了市政当局追缴欠费的法定程序：
Amount owing added to tax roll
欠款已计入税单
(2) The treasurer of a local municipality may, and upon the request of its upper-tier municipality, if any, or of a local board whose area of jurisdiction includes any part of the municipality shall, add fees and charges imposed by the municipality, upper-tier municipality or local board, respectively, to the tax roll for the following property in the local municipality and collect them in the same manner as municipal taxes:
地方市政财务主管可应上级市（如存在）或辖区覆盖该市部分区域的本地委员会的要求，将相关市、上级市或地方委员会征收的费用与附加费，分别计入该市下列物业的税单，并按市政税相同方式收取。
1. In the case of fees and charges for the supply of a service or thing to a property, the property to which the service or thing was supplied.
对于提供某项服务或物品给物业所收取的费用和收费，该服务或物品所供应的物业。
2. In all other cases, any property for which all of the owners are responsible for paying the fees and charges.
在其他所有情况下，所有业主均需承担费用及收费的任何财产。
The treasurer of the municipality can add unpaid utility fees, such as water or waste management,to the property tax roll. This includes the power to add these debts to the property tax bill of the landlord, even if the utilities were in the tenant’s name.
市政府财务官可以将未支付的公用事业费用（如水电费或垃圾处理费）追加至房产税账单中。即使这些费用登记在租户名下，财务官也有权将这些债务计入房东的房产税账单。
The specific steps can vary, but generally include issuing reminders, late notices, and final warnings to tenants before transferring the debt to the property owner. Once added, these unpaid fees are collected in the same way as property taxes.
具体步骤可能有所不同，但通常包括在将债务转移给房产所有者之前向租户发出提醒、逾期通知和最终警告。一旦费用被添加，这些未支付的款项将以与房产税相同的方式收取。
Ontario Regulation 581/06
安大略省法规581/06
Ontario Regulation 581/06 ensures that specific public utility services provided by municipalities, such as water supply, gas supply, sewage systems, and waste management, have priority lien status:
安大略省法规581/06确保市政提供的特定公用事业服务（如供水、供气、污水处理及废物管理）享有优先留置权地位。
Certain public utility fees and charges
特定公用事业费用和收费
Fees and charges that are imposed by a municipality or local board under the Act for the following services and added to the tax roll under subsection 398 (2) of the Act have priority lien status as described in section 1 of the Act:
根据该法案，市政府或地方委员会对以下服务征收的费用及附加税，并依据该法案第398条第(2)款纳入税单的，具有该法案第1条所规定的优先留置权地位。
1. For the supply of water.
供水。
2. For the supply of artificial or natural gas.
供应人工或天然煤气。
3. For the supply of steam or hot water.
3. 用于供应蒸汽或热水。
4. For the use of a sewage system..
4. 供污水系统使用。
5. For the use of a waste management system. O. Reg. 581/06, s. 1; O. Reg. 566/07, s. 1.
5. 适用于废物管理系统。O. Reg. 581/06第1条；O. Reg. 566/07第1条。
This means if a resident doesn’t pay for these services, the charges can be added to their property tax roll. Once added, these fees are treated as if they are taxes owed to the municipality. This gives the municipality a strong legal tool to ensure residents pay for essential services.
这意味着，如果居民不支付这些服务费用，相关费用可被计入其房产税账单。一旦计入，这些费用即被视为欠缴市政府的税款。这为市政府提供了强有力的法律工具，以确保居民为基本服务付费。
A Landlord’s Guide to Protecting Their Property
房东房产保护指南
While all of this may seem like a burden, there are ways you can protect and empower yourselves! You’ve already taken the first most important step, learning. Now that you know, let’s talk about what you can do to protect you, your property, and your money. Here are two important ways you can mitigate the risk of having to pay your tenant’s water bills.
虽然这一切看起来像是个负担，但仍有办法保护并增强自身能力！你们已经迈出了最重要的一步——学习。既然已经了解情况，现在就来谈谈如何保护自己、财产和金钱。以下是两种重要的方法，可降低为租户支付水费的风险。
Ensure a comprehensive lease agreement
确保一份全面的租赁协议
A comprehensive lease agreement is your first line of defense against utility payment issues.
一份全面的租赁协议是防范水电费支付问题的第一道防线。
When drafting your lease, include specific clauses that clearly outline the tenant’s responsibility for utility payments. These clauses should state which utilities the tenant is responsible for, how they should be paid, and the consequences of non-payment. Consider including a clause that requires tenants to provide proof of utility payments upon request.
在起草租赁合同时，应包含具体条款明确说明租户承担公用事业费用的责任。这些条款需列明租户负责缴纳哪些费用、支付方式以及逾期未缴的后果。可考虑增设条款要求租户根据请求提供已缴纳费用的凭证。
Note that some municipalities and local distribution companies will not release information on bill amounts to anyone other than the account owner. If the water bill account will be under your tenant’s name, you may have to get your tenant’s consent to check if the bills are paid.
请注意，部分市政机构及当地供水公司不会向账户持有人以外的任何人透露账单金额信息。若水费账户以租户名义开立，您可能需要获得租户的同意才能核查账单是否已支付。
Consult with your municipality or local distribution company on what they need to authorize you and ensure you have these documents signed and completed at the very beginning of your tenancy.
请咨询您所在的市政部门或当地配电公司，了解他们需要哪些授权文件，并确保在租赁期开始时便签署并备齐这些材料。
Periodically check定期检查
Stay on top of it! Establish a routine schedule for checks. Most municipalities issue water bills quarterly, so be sure to note the billing dates and set reminders in your calendar.
密切关注水费情况！制定定期检查的计划。大多数城市按季度收取水费，务必记下账单日期并在日历上设置提醒。
- Follow Up with the Municipality: Reach out to the local water utility company around the billing due date to confirm whether payments have been made. This can often be done online or through a customer service call.
跟进市政部门在账单截止日期前后联系当地水务公司，确认是否已完成付款。通常可通过在线渠道或客服电话办理。 - Request Payment Confirmation from Your Tenant: As part of your regular communication, ask your tenant for proof of their water bill payment. This can be in the form of a receipt or confirmation email. Make it clear in your lease that this is a requirement.
向您的租户请求付款确认作为日常沟通的一部分，请向租客索要水费缴纳凭证（收据或邮件确认单均可），并在租赁合同中明确此项要求。 - Document Your Checks: Keep a log of your communications and confirmations regarding water bill payments. This documentation can be useful if any disputes arise.
记录你的检查记录与水费支付相关的通信和确认信息，若出现争议，这些文件将派上用场。 - Address Non-Payment Promptly: If you discover that a bill has not been paid, address the issue with your tenant immediately. Review your lease agreement’s consequences for non-payment, and consider setting up a plan for them to rectify the situation.
及时处理未付款项如果发现账单未付，请立即与租户沟通解决。查阅租赁协议中关于拖欠款项的条款，并考虑制定还款计划让其补救。
By implementing a periodic check-in system, you are being proactive. Stay on top of it. This is your property and your finances, don’t shut an eye on the little details.
通过实施定期检查制度，你能掌握主动权。务必持续跟进，这是你的资产和财务，别对小细节视而不见。
Concluding Thoughts结束语
This is all I will say for now on this matter. I hope this helped you in some ways and empowered you in others. No matter what the challenge, you got this! And we here at Openroom are here to help.
关于此事，目前我只说这么多。希望这些话语能对你有所启发，在某些方面赋予你力量。无论面临何种挑战，你都能搞定！Openroom团队永远是你坚实的后盾。
Remember, the laws surrounding utility payments are designed to protect municipal interests, but as landlords, you have the power to safeguard your own. By staying informed and engaged, you can avoid the pitfalls that many landlords face. Utilize the resources available. Here at Openroom, the Virtual Rental Housing Provider Training Program is designed to help you equip yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary for successful property management. Your diligence today can lead to a more secure and profitable rental experience tomorrow!
请记住，关于公用事业费用支付的法律旨在保护市政利益，但作为房东，您有能力维护自身权益。通过保持信息畅通和积极参与，您可以避开许多房东面临的陷阱。善用现有资源。在Openroom平台，虚拟租赁住房提供商培训计划旨在助您掌握成功管理房产所需的知识与工具。今日的勤勉耕耘，将成就明日更安全、更丰厚的租赁收益！
To learn more about the process leading up to my eviction, read The Landlords Guide: When Tenants Are Not Paying Rent in Ontario and A Landlord’s Guide to the LTB’s N4 – Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent.
想了解更多关于我被驱逐的经过，请阅读《房东指南：安大略省租客拖欠房租应对策略》和业主指南：安省房东房客委员会N4表格——因未付租金提前终止租约通知.
If your tenants have been evicted but they still owe you rent, read Debt Recovery: How to enforce an LTB order in Small Claims Court and the Landlord’s Guide to Skip Tracing and Examination Hearing in Ontario.
如果你的租客已被驱逐但仍欠你租金，请阅读债务追讨：如何在小额索赔法庭执行LTB命令以及《安大略省房东指南：跳过追踪与审查听证会》.