To be eligible to be considered for assistance, you need to be a residential customer of Watercare who:
- is an owner-occupier or tenant (landlords of tenanted properties cannot apply)
- has not expressly communicated to Watercare your refusal to pay your Watercare bill
- has generally paid your Watercare bills in the past
- has not received assistance from the Trust in the past 18 months, unless you can demonstrate extenuating circumstances beyond your control
- is prepared to work with a budget advisory service approved by the Trust
- is prepared to share your personal financial details with the Trust, including bank statements
- has agreed to Watercare notifying your landlord (if applicable) about the application as your landlord is Watercare’s customer, and
- arrears must be on the Watercare account itself, and not held with your landlord or property manager.
Once you have been identified as eligible to be considered for assistance, if your arrears are greater than $500.00, your financial situation will be assessed by one of our approved budgeting services approved by the Trust. To receive financial support, you need to:
- be experiencing financial hardship. This means that you are likely to have difficulty paying your Watercare bills without affecting your ability to meet your basic living needs
- show a willingness to endeavour to deal with your existing Watercare debt
- appear to the Trust to be able to pay future Watercare bills if financial support is approved by the Trust.