$8000+ Hidden water leak - is the property manager responsible?
My dad owns a rental property in Perth. The tenant recently reported a puddle forming at the side of the house. Around the same time, the property manager told my dad an $8,500 water usage bill had come through.
My dad accepts he's liable for hidden water leaks and knows he can apply for the 50% leak allowance through Water Corporation. That part he's fine with.
Here's where it gets frustrating. After this came up, he discovered the previous two water bills (each covering a 2-month period) were also abnormally high — around $500 and $350. This property normally runs $50–75 per bill. So there were two consecutive bills at roughly 5–7x the normal amount before the $8,500 one landed.
The key detail: all utilities are paid to the property agent, who then pays Water Corporation on my dad's behalf. So the agent was the one receiving and paying every one of these bills, including the two abnormally high ones, without raising anything with my dad.
My questions:
- Would a property manager be expected to have some kind of control or process in place to notice and investigate utility bills that suddenly jump to several times the normal amount?
- If so, could it be argued that had they flagged the earlier abnormal bills and investigated, the hidden leak would have been found months sooner — and a large chunk of that $8,500 avoided?
Basically, does the agent carry any responsibility here for paying two clearly abnormal bills without question, or is that entirely on my dad as the owner?
Any input from people who've dealt with WA property management or tenancy/agency law would be appreciated.