Owner/Landlord Information - Protecting Yourself

From time to time, the Utility Billing Section has difficulty collecting payment for water and wastewater services from account holders. Where the delinquent account holder is a tenant, and the Utility Billing Section is unable to collect amounts owing, the Municipality of Killarney Turtle-Mountain will, under the authority under Section 252 of The Municipal Act, transfer those amounts to the property taxes of the owner. With this in mind, it may be in your best interests to have water and wastewater charges billed to you, instead of billing the tenant directly. As owner/landlord, the choice is yours.

Q. What can owners do to protect themselves against unpaid tenant bills?

• Ensure that our Utility Billing Department is aware of all properties belonging to you where a landlord/tenant relationship exists. We will provide you with important information which may save you money.
• Ensure any arrangements you make with your tenant(s) regarding payment of their water and wastewater bill are recorded in the TENANCY AGREEMENT. You may wish to note in the Tenancy Agreement that the tenant is responsible for providing meter readings when requested to do so.
• Contact our Utility Department periodically to learn about the status of your tenant(s) accounts.

The notice should raise consideration of the following option:

• Advise the Utility Billing Department  when a tenant is vacating your premises so we can collect a final meter read. When issued, a final bill will be sent to both the tenant and the owner.
• Please provide the Utility Billing Department with the name and pertinent information of the new account holder, even in those situations where a property is to remain vacant for a period of time. If the name of a new tenant is not provided, the account will be transferred into the owner’s name and any associated fees will be charged accordingly.

Call the Utility Billing Section TO ENSURE ALL BILLS HAVE BEEN PAID BEFORE RETURNING THEIR TENANCY DEPOSIT.

What is the town doing to protect owners against unpaid tenant bills?

• If the Utility Billing Section becomes aware of a resident who is receiving service at a new address while still owing for service provided at a previous address, we will forward any unpaid bills to the former tenant’s current address.
• If a bill is 90 days overdue, a letter is sent to the owner advising that, unless the account is paid by a prescribed date, the account will be transferred to the owner’s property taxes. 

Before you rent out any type of housing unit, the Municipality of Killarney Turtle-Mountain asks that you consider the following:

• Do contact the Province of Manitoba Residential Tenancies Branch. The Residential Tenancies Branch provides valuable information to landlords and tenants on their rights and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act. Fact sheets are available on various topics of interest to landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Branch investigates possible breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act and provides background information to resolve disputes; attempts to mediate disputes between landlords and tenants, including claims for compensation; adjudicates all matters which previously were referred to Court of Queen's Bench and Small Claims Court.

  Contact the Residential Tenancies Branch Wpg Office at:
  302-254 Edmonton Street,
  Winnipeg, MB R3C 3Y4
  Phone toll-free: 1-800-656-848