By the way, do the property fee and water fee have to be paid together?

Property fee and water fee need not be paid together.

Because the property fee and water fee are completely different in nature, based on two different contract settings and different contract subjects, they cannot be tied together. The property fee is based on the property service contract, and the parties are the owner and the property service enterprise. The water fee is based on the water supply contract, and the parties are the water supplier (water company) and the water user.

According to Article 45 of the Property Management Regulations, water supply, power supply, gas supply, heating, communication, cable TV and other units within the property management area shall charge relevant fees to the end users.

If the owner signs a contract with the water supply and power supply company and pays the corresponding fees to the water supply and power supply company, the water supply and power supply company shall supply water and power. The property company is not a party to the water supply and power supply contract and has no right to interrupt the water supply and power supply to the owner without authorization.

Determine whether the owner has justified reasons to refuse to pay the property fee;

From the perspective of contract law, the legal basis of one party's right of defense in a contract is the principle of good faith, and giving one party the right of defense in a contract is the concrete embodiment of the principle of good faith. The guiding role of the principle of good faith in the right of defense is mainly reflected in three aspects:

1. According to the principle of good faith, if the interests of the parties are unbalanced under special circumstances, adjustments should be made to restore the balance of interests, thus maintaining a certain social and economic order.

2. The principle of good faith requires both parties to respect each other's interests and establish close cooperative relations.

3. The principle of good faith allows the parties to exercise the right of defense, but this right shall not be abused. Therefore, in judicial practice, judging whether the owner refuses to pay the property fee is based on legitimate reasons mainly depends on whether the owner refuses to pay the property fee based on the principle of good faith.

The "just cause" stipulated in Article 6 of the Supreme People's Court's Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Specific Application of Law in the Trial of Property Service Disputes should be limited to the fact that the property service enterprise fails to perform the property service contract, or there are major defects in the performance of the contract, or the owner fails to pay the fee for just and reasonable reasons, which can constitute the "just cause" for the owner to refuse to pay.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Property Management Regulations