Remissions from water charges

If your high-water use is due to a personal medical condition you may be eligible for a remission.

Residents who provide evidence that excess water consumption is due to a personal medical condition are eligible for remission. 

We'll assess applications on a case-by-case basis so we can take individual circumstances into account.

Information you need to provide

• Personal information e.g. name and contact details. 
• Occupier status e.g. tenant, owner-occupier or landlord. 
• Property information including address.
• A brief description of your situation. We don't need to know your specific medical condition but want to understand how you're using excess water. We understand some situations are hard. If you would rather speak to someone from our team call 03 941 8999. 
• Supporting evidence such as a letter or record from your GP, healthcare provider, support service or hospital. 

What we'll consider when assessing your application

• Review water consumption history, including the difference between summer and winter consumption. If water use is a lot higher over summer you may not be eligible for remission, as this can indicate water use is related to gardening/irrigation rather than a personal medical condition. 
• Confirm the applicant is the ratepayer (and resident) or tenant at the rating unit.
• Review the evidence provided with the application. 
• Where there is significantly high use we'll support the applicant to investigate if there is a leak or provide advice on how they can reduce their consumption.

How to apply

You can apply for remissions online(external link), or by filling in a printed form [PDF, 192 KB]. You'll hear back from our team within 15 working days. 

Families with more than eight members living in a household are eligible for remission.

Households with more than eight flatmates and/or boarders do not qualify for large family remissions.

We'll assess applications on a case-by-case basis so we can take individual circumstances into account. 

Information you need to provide

• Personal information eg. name and contact details. 
• Occupier status e.g. tenant, owner-occupier or landlord. 
• Property information including address.
• A brief description of your living situation including the number of family members living permanently in your home. 
• The names and dates of birth of all family members permanently living in your household. 

What we'll consider when assessing your application

• Review household water consumption history, including the difference between summer and winter consumption. If water use is a lot higher over summer you may not be eligible for remission, as this may indicate water use is related to gardening/irrigation rather than the size of your family. 
• Confirm the applicant is the ratepayer (and resident) or tenant at the rating unit.
• Review the evidence provided with the application. 
• Where there is significantly high use we'll support the applicant to investigate if there is a leak or provide advice on how they can reduce their consumption.

How to apply

You can apply for remissions online(external link), or by filling in a printed form [PDF, 192 KB]. You'll hear back from our team within 15 working days. 

If you had a leak fixed before 1 October 2022 – good job! You don’t need to put in a remission application because you weren’t being charged for any excess water use before 1 October.

Ratepayers who provide evidence that a leak has been fixed in a timely manner may be eligible for a remission. We assess applications on a case-by-case basis so we can take individual circumstances into account. 

We can only consider leak remission applications once our contractors have carried out two water meter readings at a property (after 1 October), which have then been processed in our system. 

If you apply before then we'll hold your application on file until we’ve processed two water meter readings. Once that happens we’ll consider and make a decision on your application before we send you an updated invoice. So don't worry, you won't need to reapply. 

Information you need to provide

• Personal information e.g. name and contact details. 
• Property information including address.
• A brief description of the leak and repair.
• Supporting evidence showing the leak has been fixed, including:

• • An invoice from a certified plumber.
  • Photos of two water meter readings one week apart showing water use has reduced following repair.

What we'll consider when assessing your application

• Review household water consumption history to ensure it is consistent with a leak. 
• Confirm the applicant is the ratepayer or tenant at the rating unit.
• Review the evidence provided with the application.  

How to apply

You can apply for remissions online(external link), or by filling in a printed form [PDF, 192 KB]. You'll hear back from our team within 15 working days. 

Further details the applicable conditions and criteria where a ratepayer applies for an excess water rates remission pursuant to Remission 7 of the Rates Remission Policy [PDF, 280 KB].  

General 

1.  If you believe you are eligible for more than one excess water rate remission, you can apply for more than one remission. Each will be taken into consideration to ensure your water allowance is appropriate.  
2. If you apply for an excess water rates remission as a tenant, the landlord (and/or owner) of the property will be notified of both your application and its outcome.  
3. Council has the sole discretion to determine: 
   • Whether you are eligible for remission under the policy.
   • If any evidence that you have supplied in your application is sufficient.
   • The amount of the remission you are eligible for. 
4. You agree that the Council has the right to audit and verify the information you provided on your application for the remission during the term of any remission. 
5. The Council may verify that you are a tenant at the property with the landlord/property owner. 
6. The Council may delegate authority to consider and approve applications to Council staff. In the event of any doubt or dispute arising, the application is to be referred to the Full Council or any committee it delegates to for a decision. 

Large family and medical remissions

1. An application for a remission of charges can be made either:
   • Prior to an invoice being received.
   • Once an invoice has been received, prior to the due date stated on that invoice.
2. Households with more than eight flatmates and/or boarders do not qualify for large family remissions. 
3. Excessive use over and above what would be considered fair and reasonable will be estimated and billed at the discretion of the Rates Manager and Service Excellence Manager. 

Leak remissions

1. An application for a remission of charges must be made prior to the due date stated on that invoice. 
2. It's the property owner's responsibility to repair leaks on their property and pay for the cost of repair. 
3. Remissions will only be provided to applicants where: 
   • The applicant could not reasonably have been expected to know that a leak was present within their boundary.
   • That leak resulted in unusually high water consumption for the property.
   • The leak has been repaired to a sufficient standard. 
4. The maximum remission that will be provided will be calculated as the difference between normal consumption and the actual water consumption during that period. The normal consumption will be calculated at Council’s discretion from the information available. This may be through historic water meter reads, a series of reads (2 or more), or by estimation. 
5. Repairs and/or replacements on potable (drinking water) fittings and fixtures must be completed by a registered plumber and the invoice supplied with the application. You can check if the tradesperson is registered by visiting www.pgdb.co.nz.(external link) 
6.  To verify you have fixed your leak you need to provide photos of two meter readings, one week apart, along with the read date after the repair has been fixed. 
7. The excess water remission is not related to or provides remission of any targeted water connected or restricted charge. 

Privacy statement

Your privacy is important to us. Our privacy statement(external link) sets out how, and why the Christchurch City Council collects and stores your personal information, what we will use it for and with whom we can share it.