[Lee Howard]

I am wondering how you treat multi occupancy dwellings in regard to waste management charges.

Our policy is that a domestic waste charge be applied to each domestic premises/non rateable property where the service is deemed to be available. Properties containing more than one habitable dwelling will be subject to an additional domestic waste charge for each habitable dwelling (includes units, retirement villages and other multiple dwellings where bulk bin containers may be supplied) .

One of our retirement villages currently has 158 villas and is therefore charged 158 charges (this years charge is $395.00 per service so 158 @ $395.00 is quite costly) they are disputing this and want to make a private arrangement with our contractor and pay them direct.

We have advised them that Council is required to levy a domestic waste charge on ALL rateable land where the service is deemed available and as they are rated as residential they will continue to be charged.

The property is owned by Stocklands and the residents have a 99 year lease they are also requesting a Pensioner Concession on the waste charges.

We would like to know your thoughts on this and how you charge this type of dwelling.

[Cherie Muir]

Hi Lee

A lot of councils have policies based on separate occupancy (that work well for most cases) although our Act clearly says that Domestic Waste may apply separately to each ‘rateable parcel’ irrespective of the policies we adopt. I’d say that your retirement village is only one or a couple rateable parcels at most?

Like you we have a policy of charging waste on occupancy despite the Act and in the past couple years our practice was brought to the attention of the OLG. (At the time we were pushing a second charge on to dual occupancy properties.) The OLG worked with us – agreeing in some circumstances and not in others …eg; they understood why we were changing on occupancy in the case of a 12 unit residential flat building that was not yet strata subdivided, but tut-tutted us for pushing an extra set of bins on granny flats. Ultimately the OLG said something like … ‘take caution when not covered by the Act – always work with the owner and charge additional services in agreement with the owner’.

That’s my experience anyway …. where it is reasonable go for it and where there is room for negotiation do that. Does your policy say that it may be varied and by whom from time to time? Maybe the waste manager could come to a Win/Win arrangement that gets documented well.

Food for thought.

Regards
Cherie

[John Towers]

Hi Lee

NSC has contained in it’s Revenue Policy – 1 DWM per occupancy. This based on transparency & equity. If there is a building of 20 strata units they are ALL required to pay a DWM so why should the 20 flat non strata next door pay a different amount?

We have had no complaints.

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