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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.
Water is one of the few lines on a German service-charge statement (Nebenkostenabrechnung) that you can influence yourself — provided your consumption is actually metered. In many buildings cold water is still allocated by floor area or by the number of occupants. This guide explains which water and sewage costs are recoverable, how the two fees differ, and the checks that most often reveal a mistake. It covers residential tenancies in Germany and is not individual legal advice.
What the ordinance allows
Section 2 no. 2 BetrKV covers "the costs of the water supply": consumption charges, standing charges, the rental of water meters and the costs of using them including calibration, the maintenance of water-flow regulators, the operation of an in-house supply or treatment system, and the treatment chemicals.
Section 2 no. 3 BetrKV covers drainage (Entwässerung): the public sewage charges, the operation of a private drainage system, and the operation of a drainage pump. Both lists describe ongoing operation only.
Meter rental yes, meter purchase no
This is the most common error. If your landlord rents the water meters from a service provider, the monthly rental is recoverable. If the landlord buys them, the purchase price is an acquisition and is not recoverable — including the replacement at the end of the calibration period. What remains recoverable are the ongoing costs of use, above all reading and calibration.
If a line called "Zähler", "Messdienst" or "Erfassungsgeräte" looks large, ask directly: rental or purchase, and how much of the amount is for reading and billing service? Both figures appear on the metering company's invoice.
Sewage comes in two parts
Most German municipalities charge two separate fees. The wastewater fee (Schmutzwassergebühr) is usually based on the fresh water you draw: more water in, more water out. The rainwater fee (Niederschlagswassergebühr) is based on the sealed surface of the property — roof, yard, driveway — and has nothing to do with your consumption.
If the whole drainage charge is allocated by water consumption, a household that uses a lot of water also pays more rainwater fee, which it cannot influence. A careful statement shows both fees separately and allocates the rainwater fee by area. If they are merged, ask for the municipal fee notice (Gebührenbescheid).
Hot water is billed separately
Cold and hot water are not the same line. The costs of hot-water supply fall under section 2 no. 5 BetrKV and are additionally governed by the Heating Costs Ordinance (Heizkostenverordnung). If your building has central hot water and your statement shows only one water line, the separation is probably missing. Ask for the separate heating and hot-water statement.
The double-charging check
The fresh water that gets heated passes through the building's main meter and appears in total consumption. It is then also billed in the hot-water statement. A correct calculation deducts the hot-water volume from the total before allocating the remaining cold water. Otherwise you pay for the same cubic metre twice.
Compare the total volume given in the water section with the sum of cold and hot water for the flats. If they do not fit together, ask one clear question: "Was the fresh water used for hot-water preparation deducted before the cold water was allocated?"
The gap between main and flat meters
The main meter almost always shows more than the sum of the flat meters. Measurement tolerance, water for common areas and garden irrigation explain a few percent. A large gap can indicate a leak — and repairing a leak is maintenance, not an operating cost.
Ask for the main meter reading, the sum of the flat meters, and how the difference was treated. Even if the difference is spread by area, its size should be visible.
What does not belong here
Repairing a burst pipe, renovating risers, replacing a defective lifting station and descaling as part of a repair are all maintenance and excluded by section 1(2) no. 2 BetrKV. Legionella testing needs care: the recurring test required under the drinking-water regulation may qualify as an ongoing operating cost, while remediation of a contaminated system does not.
If a combined line called "Wasser/Sanitär" includes repairs, ask for a breakdown. Where a line is mixed, only the inadmissible part is removed — not the whole line.
The allocation key
Without a different agreement, section 556a(1) BGB requires allocation by living area, and the actual area is decisive (BGH, judgment of 30 May 2018 – VIII ZR 220/17). Where flat meters exist, consumption-based allocation is the natural choice for cold water but is not mandatory in every case; state law and municipal rules may say more.
If allocation is by number of occupants, check the figure used and how mid-year changes were handled. A comprehensible statement gives both the total number of occupants and the number attributed to you.
When there are no meters at all
Without flat meters, a frugal single household pays the same as a wasteful one. That is annoying but not automatically unlawful for cold water. There is no general right under tenancy law to have meters installed, although state building regulations or municipal rules may impose duties.
What you can do is ask in writing for meters to be fitted, pointing to the incentive effect. For the current statement, the agreed key continues to apply.
Putting the amount in context
The DMB national benchmark for the 2024 billing year combines water supply and drainage at €0.29 per square metre per month — about €244 a year for a 70 m² flat. Municipal fees vary a great deal, and a larger household simply uses more. Treat the figure as orientation, not a limit.
If your amount is far above it, look first at the consumption in cubic metres and then at the price per cubic metre. A high bill caused by high consumption, expensive fees or a wrong share leads to three very different questions.
Read on and check your own bill
For the rules on how shares are calculated, see allocation keys. For the heating side, see which heating costs are recoverable, and for the documents behind the figures, inspecting the invoices.
To see whether your water lines are plausible, upload the statement to the free check. Consumption, key and share are read out and compared with the national benchmark.