FAQ – Domestic Customers

As defined in the Sewerage Services (Charges) Regulation 1994, IWK customer or user means the owner or occupier or any person, firm, corporate body or other legal entity who is the owner or occupier of any domestic, commercial, industrial or government premises, as the case may be, provided with connected services or septic tank services and the premises are located within the operational areas of a Local Authority that has been handed over to IWK to provide services and maintenance.

Domestic premises means any premises built, constructed, adapted or intended to be used exclusively for human habitation.

Government quarters means any premise built, constructed, adapted or intended to be used exclusively for habitation by government servants in the various grades (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H & I) as defined by the Government General Orders (Chapter E)

Septic tanks only provides partial treatment of the sewage that flows into it and needs to be desludged on a regular basis, approximately once in two years, to ensure that it functions efficiently.

For desludging service changes, customers will be charged RM192.00 for a 24-month cycle or RM8/month for septic tanks located within the local authority operating areas (PBT) or RM192.00 for a 36 Month cycle or RM5.33/month for septic tanks located outside the boundaries of the local authority operating areas (PBT).

Please contact 03-20832828 or IWK offices nearest to you, if your premise septic tank needs desludging service.

Septic tank is normally located outside the premises under the ground at the side, rear or in front of the premises and is covered with 2 - 4 metal lids. Occupier (owner/tenant) of the premises is responsible for the maintenance of the septic tank. IWK is only responsible for desludging the septic tank.

All owners or occupants of any premises connected to or own a septic tank needs to carry out desludging exercises on a scheduled basis based on the "Water Services Industry Regulations (Sewage Disposal Services) 2021" gazette which has come into effect from 30 March 2021. The frequency for scheduled desludging are as follows:

i. septic tanks within the local authority operating areas (PBT), desludging exercises must be carried out once every 24 months (2 years); and

ii. septic tanks that are located outside the boundaries of any local authority desludging exercises must be carried out once every 36 months (3 years).

For septic tanks that are not maintained and emptied: Under subsection 65(3) of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 [Act 655], the owner upon conviction, can be fined not more than RM50,000.

Premises, that are connected to the public sewage treatment plant, will be billed RM10.00 per month. Your premise is using connected service if you see one rectangular metal lid/cover, which is an inspection chamber, outside the premises either at the side, rear or in front. The entire area of your premises has connected service if you see manholes along the road connecting the premises to a public sewage treatment plant. In the manhole are sewerage pipelines, which also serves as a checkpoint to identify sewerage problems and clearing of any blockage. It is an offence to open the public manhole without proper authorization from IWK or National Water Services Commission, and the related ministry.

You will not see IWK staff visiting your premises regularly as our work is mainly at the sewage treatment plant and maintenance of the public sewer pipelines along the public road. We will be at your service in person if there is back flow of sewage into your premises or overflowing manhole due to blockage along the public sewer pipes.

Throwing or flushing rubbish (sanitary napkins, diapers, refuse or solid waste) into the toilet and/or septic tank/inspection chamber will clog your internal and public passage of the sewer pipelines. This will cause the wastewater to back flow into the toilet, kitchen and bathrooms. To prevent this from occurring, please refrain from throwing / flushing solid wastes (especially sanitary napkins and diapers) into the toilet, septic tank or inspection chamber.

In the inspection chamber are sewage outlets linking the premise sewer pipelines to the public sewer pipelines and is mainly used for checking and clearing of any blockage. For clearing of blockages along the public sewer pipes, customers do not have to pay for the service, as it is the responsibility of IWK to maintain it.

However, for clearing of blockages along the private (internal) sewer pipelines, which is the sewer pipelines from the premises linking to the public sewer pipelines, customer has to pay RM180.00 for each service. This service is on a 'cash-on-delivery' basis. Please insist on payment receipt upon making payment.

In the event, if the internal sewer pipelines are damaged, the occupier (owner/tenant) will have to engage a private contractor, at his or her own expenses, to replace the damaged internal sewer pipelines. IWK will provide the contact numbers of private contractors on request.

Commencing 1 January 2023, a minimum charge will be incurred to vacant premises that have an active water meter with State Water Companies. The minimum charge will cover the cost of maintaining and operating the sewerage asset from the premises to the sewage treatment plant even if the premises are unoccupied. For example, most mechanized plants do not depend on the flow rate of sewage waste which these plants use the same amount of electricity even if the flow rate is low.

Premises declared low-cost by Local Authority will be billed RM2.00 per month. Please send us a photocopy of the Assessment Bill and/or letter from the Local Authority if your premise is categorized other than low cost, for our further action.

Cash payment only can be made at all Pos Malaysia computerised offices and Bank Simpanan Nasional.

Cash or cheque payments can be made at Maybank, Mayban Finance, Public Bank & Finance, Arab-Malaysian Bank & Finance, IWK offices, IWK Head Office at No 44, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur.

On-line payments can be made through “Maybank2U.com.my” for Maybank Account holders only.

For more details, please refer to the Payment Method.

Photocopies of the relevant pages from the Sales & Purchase Agreement with the names of the purchaser/seller, property address, date of agreement and signatories of all parties concerned are to be submitted to IWK for any change of ownership. This is to ensure that ownership details are accurately registered in the premise sewerage account.

The occupier i.e. owner or tenant of any premises to which sewerage services has been provided by IWK shall be liable to pay the sewerage charges.

However, if the occupier or tenant of the premises failed to fulfill this obligation, the owner is jointly liable to pay the sewerage charges. 

According to Regulation (9) of the Water Service Industry (Sewerage Services Charges) Regulations 2022, it states that:

"Any person who sells or transfers any premises in respect of which sewerage services charges have been incurred for sewerage services provided by the services licensee, shall continue to be liable for the payment of all sewerage services charges payable in respect of the premises unless prior notice has been given to the service licensee in relation to such sale or transfer."

"Nothing in these Regulations shall affect the liability of the purchaser or transferee to pay the sewerage services charges in respect of the premises referred to in subregulation (1) or affect the right of the service licensee to recover the sewerage services charges from the purchaser or transferee."

The purchaser is liable for paying all sewerage services charges in respect of the premises unless prior notice has been given to the IWK concerning the sale or transfer. With immediate effect, IWK will no longer accept any requests to apportion the outstanding payments between the previous owner or purchaser.

It is important that the purchaser ensures that there is no outstanding / unpaid sewerage services bill on the premises, and all outstanding bills are settled during the sale and purchase transaction.