HUB Property, Owner & Tenant Information

Hamilton City Council has approved updates to the water billing policy to help ensure accounts are managed clearly and consistently.

For residential properties, water accounts opened on or after June 1, 2018 are set up in the property owner’s name(s) rather than the tenant’s name(s). While Hamilton Utility Billing is happy to accept payments from tenants or other authorized person, the property owner remains responsible for ensuring the account is paid on time.

For existing accounts currently billed in a tenant’s name, no immediate change is required. These accounts will remain in the tenant’s name until the tenant moves out. Once the tenant vacates the property, the water account will automatically be placed in the property owner’s name(s).

Review the Utility Billing and Collection Policy By-law 26-004

From time to time, City staff or authorized service providers may need access to the property to complete maintenance work or to safely read and collect data from the water meter. If access cannot be arranged through a tenant, we will reach out directly to the property owner to coordinate access.

To ensure we can reach you when needed, Hamilton Utility Billing requires up‑to‑date contact information for all property owners, including a mailing address, phone number(s) and email address. Keeping your information current helps ensure you receive important notices, updates and billing information without delay.

How to update your contact information
Please contact Hamilton Utilities Billing (HUB) or the City of Hamilton Taxation Office to update your address or contact details:

71 Main Street West,
Hamilton Ontario,
PO Box 2040 Stn LCD 1,
L8N 0A3
EmaiI [email protected] or [email protected]

Sellers are encouraged to contact Hamilton Utilities Billing (HUB) to provide a forwarding address and move‑out date. This allows HUB to issue and send the final water bill to the correct address after closing.

Hamilton Utilities Billing can be reached at 905‑546‑8630, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Buyers should contact Hamilton Utilities Billing to provide their move‑in date and contact information for future billing and correspondence. Please note that all residential water accounts must be opened and billed in the name of the registered property owner(s), not in the name of a tenant.

Hamilton Utilities Billing can be reached at 905‑546‑8630, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Buyers are also encouraged to request a Utility (Arrears) Certificate from Hamilton Utilities Billing (an applicable fee applies). This certificate confirms the payment status of the water account and indicates whether the account is based on actual or estimated meter readings.

The Utility (Arrears) Certificate notes that the account may be adjusted once the final water bill is issued. To avoid unexpected charges, it is important that the final bill be based on an actual water meter reading taken on the date of closing. Meter readings can be submitted to HUB by phone or through an online form available by logging in to My.Hamilton.ca. Any water consumption that has not yet been billed is the responsibility of the property owner at the time the actual reading is obtained.

Water and wastewater services are provided to a property, not to an individual. These services are regulated under the Municipal Act, which allows municipalities to collect unpaid fees and charges by adding them to the property’s municipal tax bill.

To help protect buyers, it is considered prudent for the lawyer managing the transaction to hold back funds from the seller to ensure the final water bill is paid. If a final water invoice remains unpaid, the outstanding amount may be transferred to the property tax roll 60 days after the invoice due date and would then become the responsibility of the buyer. Buyers may contact HUB to confirm whether the final invoice has been issued and paid.

Buyers are also encouraged to review their title insurance coverage carefully, as some policies exclude charges related to final water meter readings.