2026-09-06
Which German service charges cannot be passed on to tenants?
Learn how to distinguish management, repairs and ineligible insurance from recoverable operating costs, and what evidence to request.
Read article →Tenant guides
Tenant guides: understand service charges
Practical guides to service charges, deadlines and heating bills for tenants in Germany.
Basics
Can the landlord charge this?
2026-09-06
Building insurance in German service charges — and what is excluded
Buildings, liability and glass cover may be charged, legal-expenses cover may not, and loss of rent depends on the insured risk.
Read article →2026-09-06
Caretaker costs (Hauswart) — how much may be charged to tenants?
The caretaker's pay is recoverable, but not the part spent on repairs or administration. How to find and challenge the excluded share.
Read article →2026-09-06
Garden maintenance costs — even if you cannot use the garden
Why nearly every flat pays for Gartenpflege in Germany, where upkeep ends and investment begins, and which questions actually help.
Read article →2026-09-06
Which heating costs can a German landlord pass on?
Fuel, operating power, servicing and metering are recoverable; a new boiler is not. How to read the heating line on your statement.
Read article →2026-09-06
Lift costs in German service charges — do ground-floor tenants pay?
Operation, servicing and the emergency call are recoverable; repairs are not. Why almost every flat pays, and how to check the line.
Read article →2026-09-06
Can my landlord charge me property tax (Grundsteuer) in Germany?
Grundsteuer is a recoverable operating cost if your lease says so. How to check the amount, the allocation and the 2025 reform effect.
Read article →2026-09-06
Waste collection charges on a German tenant's bill
Bin rental, collection fees and bulky waste: what belongs in the Müll line of your Nebenkostenabrechnung and what does not.
Read article →2026-09-06
Water and sewage on a German service-charge statement
Cold water, meter rental, sewage and rainwater fees explained for tenants in Germany, with the checks that reveal double charging.
Read article →Not recoverable
2026-09-06
Property management fees are not recoverable in German residential leases
Verwaltungskosten, bookkeeping and preparing the statement are excluded by law. How to find them and how to object.
Read article →2026-09-06
Repairs on a German service-charge statement: why you do not pay
Instandhaltung and Instandsetzung are excluded by law. Where servicing ends, how to split full-service contracts, and what to ask for.
Read article →2026-09-06
Empty flats in the building: who pays their service charges?
The landlord bears the vacancy share. How the total area on your statement reveals whether costs were shifted onto you.
Read article →Deadlines
2026-09-06
The German service-charge deadline: When is an extra charge too late?
Billing periods, receipt dates and objection deadlines are different. Learn how the twelve-month rule works with practical examples.
Read article →Objecting and checking invoices
2026-09-06
Belegeinsicht: how to see the invoices behind your German bill
Section 556(4) BGB gives you the right of inspection, electronically too. How to request it and what to do if it is refused.
Read article →2026-09-06
How to object to a German service-charge statement (Widerspruch)
Twelve months from receipt: how to raise specific objections, with wording for the most common items and evidence of delivery.
Read article →2026-09-06
Can I refuse to pay a German service-charge back payment?
Late statements, formal defects and refused inspection: when you may withhold, when to pay under reservation, and what default costs.
Read article →2026-09-06
Getting a service-charge credit paid out in Germany
When a Guthaben falls due, how to demand it, why the twelve-month deadline does not apply to you, and how limitation works.
Read article →Allocation keys and prepayments
2026-09-06
Adjusting your monthly service-charge prepayments in Germany
After every statement either side may adjust. How to demand a reduction, what appropriate means, and how to challenge an increase.
Read article →2026-09-06
Allocation keys in Germany: living area or number of occupants?
Without an agreement, living area applies. When an occupancy key is valid, how a change works and how to redo the arithmetic.
Read article →Heating and CO₂
2026-09-06
The German CO₂ cost split between landlord and tenant
Since 2023 the landlord bears part of the carbon price. How the ten-step model works and how to check your heating statement.
Read article →2026-09-06
Heating costs 70/30: Understanding Germany’s heating-cost ordinance
Consumption shares, base costs and possible reductions: read your heating bill without assuming every unusual number proves an error.
Read article →Benchmark figures
2026-09-06
Average German service charges per square metre (2024 figures)
The DMB benchmark puts typical operating costs at €2.67 per m² per month. How to use the figures properly and where they stop helping.
Read article →Special situations
2026-09-06
Moving out mid-year: your final German service-charge statement
Why the bill arrives a year later, how time-based shares work, and which readings to record on handover day.
Read article →