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GemLife Maroochy Quays Customers

Please note the contact centre will now be available from 8am to 4pm QLD time

Utility Billing and Payments

Reading Your Water Bill

There are two main elements to your water bill, your Water Meter Reading and Water Charges.
Water Meter Reading
The amount of water used during a billing period is determined based on readings from your meter (either a smart meter with its reading sent to us automatically, or a manually read meter performed by a manager in your community).

From time to time, a corresponding meter read may not be available for the end of a billing period. In the case of a manual meter, this may be because the end of the period falls on a weekend, or public holiday. If you have a smart meter, an unavailable reading may be due to a break in connectivity between the meter and the metering provider.

When this occurs, your water bill will state that it is based on an estimation of your usage. The estimation will be calculated based on the most recently available meter read using industry-standard methods. Any adjustments necessary to this reading will follow in the bill issued for the next period.
Water Invoice Charges
Your invoice will be made up of two types of charges:

Variable Charges - Charged per kL. This will vary from villa to villa based on metered consumption.

Fixed Charges - Charged on a per day basis. This daily rate will be the same for each villa.
Variable Charges - State Government Bulk Water Charge
This component of the bill is set by SEQ Water and reflects the cost of water supplied to the local council. The rates are decided based on recommendations from the Queensland Competition Authority and update every July. It is charged per kilo-litre of water used. The per kL rate charged for each villa is the same as the per kL rate charged to the park, but you are only charged for the kL used at your villa based on the meter read process outlined above.
Variable Charges - Water Usage
Is a per kL charge for how much water you have used at your villa for the duration of the billing period. The rate charged will be the same as the rate charged for the park on the council bill.
Variable Charges - Sewerage Usage
Sewerage (or wastewater) usage is not metered separately to the water, instead it is estimated based on 90% your water usage. Our billing system represents this by charging the same amount of kL usage for sewerage and water and charging the sewerage at 90% of the cost of the water.
Fixed Charges - Water Access
The water access charge is a fixed fee, charged by the water provider, that ensures your property has access to the water supply infrastructure, regardless of your actual water usage. This rate is set by the council, and is billed per meter, per day. The figure on the council bill will be divided by the number of meters, and the number of days to determine your daily rate. You will be charged this rate times by the number of days of the billing period. Everyone who has been resident for the whole billing period will pay the same amount for this charge.
Fixed Charges - Sewerage Access
The sewerage access fee is also a fixed fee, and relates to the cost of the upkeep of the local sewerage system. It is calculated in the same way as the water access fee. It is usually higher than the water access fee.
Due to the make up of the community, there are multiple different gauges of water meter in use. A portion of your water and of your sewerage is measured through each. As a result, there are multiple separate line items on the bill for water and sewerage access charges.
Fixed Charges - Trade Waste (Tier 1, Tier 2, Volumetric)
Due to the amount of waste water being processed in your community, sometimes part of the costs involved in water billing are considered trade waste fees. These are fees payable to cover the costs associated with the transport and treatment of commercial wastewater, which places additional load on the sewer system. Trade waste is charged at different tiers: (tier 1, tier 2, and volumetric) depending on the volume of wastewater being handled. Trade waste is a fixed fee charged per day per meter, and is charged at a daily rate, calculated in the same way as above.
Bill Frequency
Your bill will be issued once a quarter (or in some cases, once every four months) and is charged in arrears. The charging rates are based on the charges on the council notice. As a result of this, any closing balance for a villa is likely to be determined some time after the move out date.