Buying a property

Prior to the sale of a property, typically your solicitor or conveyancer will arrange a Special Water Meter Read in order to correctly allocate responsibility for water and sewerage charges to the buyer and seller at the time of ownership change. This is in accordance with the REIQ Contract of Sale

If there are any outstanding or overpaid amounts on the water and sewerage account, your solicitor or conveyancer usually reflects this in the final property settlement figures.

Once the property has settled, typically your solicitor or conveyancer notifies the Queensland Land Registry of the change of property title. The Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) – also known as the Titles Office - then sends an official notification of the change to us.

This may take several weeks or months from settlement date. If you have not received a bill in your name within three months of the property settlement, we recommend you contact your solicitor or conveyancer to check on its progress.

The new owner of the property is responsible for paying the water and sewerage account when the next bill is issued. Any outstanding balance after a change of ownership will become the responsibility of the new property owner, as any debt remains with the land, not with the customer.

A service that's usually arranged by the purchaser's solicitor, a special meter reading (SMR) allows solicitors to correctly allocate responsibility of water and sewerage charges to the buyer and seller at the time of ownership change.

This is an important part of the property sale process because Urban Utilities does not issue final accounts when a property is sold.

The new owner of the property is responsible for paying the water and sewerage account when the next bill is issued. Any outstanding balance after a change of ownership will become the responsibility of the new property owner, as any debt remains with the land, not with the customer.

Urban Utilities does not issue final accounts when a property is sold. For this reason, all financial adjustments for outstanding or overpaid amounts should be made at the time of property settlement. Usually, the solicitor or conveyancer will do this by adjusting the final settlement figures. A Special Meter Reading assists solicitors or conveyancers in correctly calculating the adjusted settlement figures. Your settlement documents will show how these charges have been calculated. Your solicitor or conveyancer will be able to answer any questions.