If a tenant fails to pay the water and wastewater bills, the arrears are applied to the property tax roll, which is the property owner's responsibility.
Provincial legislation under section 398 (2) of the Municipal Act provides that charges for the public utility supply may be added to the taxes for the property to which the utility was supplied, which also includes water arrears of the tenants of an owner’s property. Read the Water and Wastewater Collection Policy.
To avoid having water arrears added to your taxes:
Option 1: Register with ERTH Solutions as the account holder and ensure payment is made on time. As the account holder, you will receive all bills and notices.
Option 2: If the account holder is your tenant, you may register with ERTH Solutions as a secondary person on the account to notify you of arrears only. Obtain consent from your tenant to be added as a secondary on the account using the Tenant Authorization to Release Form (PDF). Forward the completed consent form to ERTH Solutions by mail or email.
Once you have been added to the account, you will be notified if the account is 45 days overdue. As a secondary on the account, you are not entitled to receive a tenant’s personal information.
When a tenant’s account is in arrears, you may have an opportunity to follow up with your tenant before the arrears are transferred to your property tax account.
Only the service address and amount outstanding will be provided. ERTH will not disclose account or payment details to the registered secondary person.
If the tenant’s account is overdue after 60 days, the outstanding balance is transferred to Norfolk County and added to the property tax account for the service address.
The landlord will receive a letter from Norfolk County advising that arrears have been added to the property tax account due to water and wastewater arrears. Payment of the arrears must be made to Norfolk County.
Property owners/landlords requiring information can obtain limited information on their tenant’s account balances and bill dates. When contacting ERTH, property owners will be required to provide the following information:
- The property tax roll number related to the service address/account you are calling about
- The tenant’s name
- The amount of arrears that was tax rolled to your property tax account per the letter you were sent by Norfolk County
Before any information may be released, ERTH will confirm that the information provided by the property owner is accurate.
Once confirmed, the property owner will be entitled to the following information only:
- The bill dates, due dates and amounts unpaid invoices.
- The date of the next billing for the account.
- The breakdown of the tax rolled amount between water, wastewater, and interest.
Schedule for notification of past-due accounts
6 days after the due date
Automated telephone reminder to the primary account holder.
30 days past due date
A reminder notice is sent to the primary account holder.
45 days past due date
A tax roll warning notice was sent to the primary account holder and a notice to the secondary (if applicable).
60 days past due
Notice to primary account holder confirming transfer to tax roll plus an administrative fee (with a copy forwarded to Norfolk County Revenue and Tax Services) and a notice to registered secondary confirming transfer to tax roll plus an administrative fee.
