26. February 2012 by admin.

One of the things that makes water billing different from other utility billing activities, and from tax billing too, is the desire to bill owners and tenants separately.  In some jurisdictions the owner of the property pays the fixed (standing, infrastructure) charges and the occupier (owner or tenant) pays the consumption charges.  Where that happens, the property must have its own meter, because the tenant can only be charged where their consumption can be verified by a meter reading - no shared meters, no fixed percentage of use.  In the condo where I live, for example, we have a common meter so any condo that is rented does not get a separate water consumption charge if it happens to be rented out

The usual practice for water billing software is to treat each customer separately, and where a property is tenanted and separately metered, to issue two bills (owner, tenant) that are separately monitored for payment or non-payment.  If the tenant does not pay their water supply can be restricted or disconnected but they are still responsible for that debt, even if they move out

In New Zealand, however, the water company for the main city there, Auckland, has decided that, while there will be two bills, if the tenant doesn’t pay they won’t pursue the tenant for payment; demands for non-payment will go to the owner.  That will be a challenge for the water billing system they use there

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11. February 2012 by admin.

Public sector and utility billing software must often take into account the role of the regulator.  In Australia, for example, the Australian Energy Regulator has proposed setting the disconnection limit at $300 from July 1, 2012. Power companies will be required to cut off a household’s gas supply before they resort to disconnecting electricity. They will have to offer payment plans or hardship assistance to customers who tell them they are having trouble paying bills. Customers who take part in a company’s payment plan, usually by paying instalments, will be protected from disconnection regardless of what they owe.  Software would usually include such decisions as part of its debt management functionality steps.

Posted in software selection, tax billing software, water billing software | Print | 1 Comment »