User Rates Frequently Asked Questions

User Rates FAQ

• What do you mean by "User Rates"?

  Property owners in the City of Nanaimo are billed directly for their water, sewer, and garbage services which are referred to as "User Rates".

• How often am I billed?

  Property owners are billed 3 times per year, approximately every 4 months.  Different properties are billed at different times during the year according to their location within the City.

• What happens if I don't pay my bills?

  If not paid by the due date, the 5 % discount will not be allowed.  Unpaid user rate fees are carried forward to the next Statement of User Rates. Balances outstanding as of December 31 of each year are automatically transferred to property tax arrears and incur daily interest beginning Jan 1.

• What are tiered 'step' rates?

  For properties categorized as 'Single-Family Residential', the City of Nanaimo charges water consumption at different rates according to the average gallons of water per day used at the property.  Each new level of charges is called a ‘step’.

  To see all of our step rates,  please see our billing rates.

• How can I find my average gallons of water used per day?

  To calculate the average gallons per day for the billing period, take the total number of gallons used and divide by the number of days in the period.  This information can be found near the top of the statement, on the same line as the meter number.

• Where is my water meter?

  Help with locating your water meter can be found on our Water Meter Access page.  If you cannot locate your water meter, please contact User Rates for assistance.

• How can I find out if I have a shared water meter?

  All accounts that share a water meter with another separate user rates account will have the water meter base rate shared amongst all accounts.  If your water base rate or water meter charge has a unit number beside it that is less than 1, your property has a shared water meter.

  If you are sharing a water meter, you will be charged a portion of the meter base rate only.  For example if your meter charge indicates 0.5, you will only be charged 50% of the meter base fee.

• I have a shared water meter; how is the water usage split?

  By default, all accounts on the shared meter will split the water usage equally.  If two accounts share a meter, they will each pay 50% of water used.

  If all owners agree to an alternate split of the water consumption, the User Rates office can change the percentage share to a custom amount for each account (shares must total up to 100%).  To change the water usage share, an alternate invoice allocation form must be filled out and submitted to the User Rates section with signatures from the owners on Title of the respective properties.  Please contact our office for a copy of the form. 

  Change in ownership on any of the affected properties will reset the percentage share back to the default amount.

• What if I sell or buy a house?

  The user rates account stays with the property when the property is sold or purchased. Statements are issued to the current owner of the property on the scheduled billing date. We do not stop or start accounts when the ownership changes or take final water meter readings. The legal representatives involved in the sale are responsible for all adjusting of the user rate account charges and this should be included on your Statement of Adjustments as part of the real estate transaction process. 

• When are charges for a new property started?

  The fees for water start as soon as the water meter is installed on a property. Sewer and garbage charges do not start until the property has been granted occupancy under the relevant building permit.

• Are water, sewer and garbage services mandatory?

  Yes. Every property connected to the City's water and sewer system must pay the related user fees.  In addition, all residential property owners of 4 units or fewer must pay for basic curbside collection service.  Owners cannot opt out of these services. 
  

• I see multiple charge lines on my bill - am I being double-billed?

  When old charges are stopped and new charges started within the same billing period, they will be split onto separate lines and will cover different dates within the billing period.  

  All statements issued with a billing period that includes days in 2023 and 2024 will have separate charge lines for water and sewer that represent the change to the new billing rates.  Another reason for multiple charge lines could be the removal or addition of a billed residential unit (such as a suite) during the billing period.  If you believe that the unit number beside your sewer or garbage charges is incorrect, please contact our office.

• Are there any special circumstances in which I may stop charges?

  In the event of a fire, or demolition of a building, property owners may apply to have their water, sewer, and garbage charges stopped. To do this, owners must pay for a disconnect fee that is added as a charge onto the related building permit. 

  If a property owner wishes to remove a water meter outside of a building permit, Development Engineering (250-755-4429) may be contacted to see if the water meter is able to be removed.