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- You should pay attention to this in your service charge settlement
- Average operating costs Euro per square meter per month
- This must not be included in the service charge settlement
You should pay attention to this in your service charge settlement
Every second service charge is wrong. What you have to pay attention to - and when you pay nothing - we tell you here!
Many tenant households will soon receive their utility bills for 2014 . But by no means all of these bills fulfill the prescribed conditions. In extreme cases, this can mean: The service charge settlement is invalid.
The tenants do not have to pay anything until repair, explains our expert Ulrich Ropertz from the German Tenants' Association. Here he answers the most important questions about the "second rent".
What are ancillary or operating costs?
Officially, this is called " operating costs ". This includes all costs incurred by an owner by using the house regularly. The most important summarizes the list below - along with realistic average costs.
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Do tenants have to pay them in principle?
The decisive factor is what was agreed in the rental agreement. If there is nothing of operating costs, you pay no.
Which items are not allowed?
All costs are unique. This can be the redesign of a garden, the replacement of a window or a repair (list below). In addition, landlords have to deal economically with advances: Clean the staircase daily, trim the hedge weekly - that's a waste! Tenants should also pay attention to whether costs are listed twice. The duties of a caretaker include, for example, garden maintenance and snow removal. This may not be calculated separately.
How are operating costs divided?
If a heating system supplies at least two apartments, the heating costs will be charged according to consumption - at least 50 percent. The remaining costs can also be distributed according to the living space.
It is not allowed to charge a lump sum, for example on the basis of the advance payment made by the landlord to the energy supplier.
The central hot water supply is also calculated based on consumption: hot water clocks are required. If measuring instruments are missing for the total water consumption, the calculation by living space is usual.
For the other operating costs, the distribution depends on the rental contract: it can be made according to the number of people, but also the division into living space is possible.
What to do if you have discovered errors in the service charge settlement?
Has the billing arrived on time? It must be available no later than twelve months after the end of the accounting period. If the landlord misses this deadline, tenants do not have to pay more!
On the other hand, credits do not expire. If a post seems strange to you, talk to your landlord about it. If it remains stubborn, helps the tenants' association (www.mieterbund.de): If possible four weeks after receipt of the settlement in writing an objection. The latest date for the opposition is one year after receipt of the invoice.
Average operating costs Euro per square meter per month
Heating costs 1.16 euros
Water / wastewater 0.35 Euro
Hot water 0, 27 Euro
Caretaker 0.21 euros
Property tax 0.19 euros
Garbage disposal 0, 16 Euro
Elevator 0, 16 Euro
Building cleaning 0, 16 Euro
Property + liability insurance. 0.15 euros
Antenna / Cable / TV 0, 14 Euro
Garden care 0, 09 Euro
General stream 0.05 euros
Street cleaning 0.03 euros
Other costs 0, 04 Euro
Chimney cleaning 0, 03 Euro
Realistic total cost 3.19 euros
Source: German Tenants' Association; Figures refer to billing period 2012
This must not be included in the service charge settlement
Maintenance:
Painters of the staircase
Repairs, for example at the electrical system
Reserves for renovations
Janitorial services that serve instant preservation
Administration:
Property management
Creation of the service charge settlement
postage
Bank charges
interest
phone
vacancy
carries the landlord / homeowner
