At the beginning of the year, many tenants experienced a moment of shock: the utility bill arrived in their letterbox and demanded horrendous additional payments from tenants tenants. Energy costs have risen sharply and are now showing their effects.
What can you do? First of all, it requires both tenants and owners to remain calm. Then we can start to act proactively.
Let's take a look at what you can do in future to avoid horrendous additional service charge payments.
Brief overview of the development of energy prices in Berlin
Energy shortages, political decisions (e.g. regarding climate change), inflation - the fact that German energy prices have risen so sharply has various causes. Unraveling these will not get us anywhere now. What we can do instead is look at the development of energy prices and thus heating costs. If we compare the months of July '23 and July '22, for example, prices have risen by approx. prices have risen by around 16.6 %. The chart here roughly summarizes the developments for electricity prices over the last few years:
The graph shows us the constantly growing numbers. But there is also good news: Current figures indicate that prices are falling again and that the trend is continuing downwards.
Shock moment: €8,000 operating and heating bill
Imagine opening your letterbox and finding an operating and heating bill demanding an additional payment of 8,000 euros. Some tenants are actually experiencing such a moment. The main reason for such The main reason for such high additional charges is often a combination of inefficient heating systems, poor insulation and increased energy prices. In addition, the actual consumption costs often significantly exceed the advance payments, which of course only increases the surprise.
What measures can be taken to avoid such additional payments in the future? Here is a brief overview:
1) Check utility bills. You can find an easy-to-understand overview in our blog article on how to detect and avoid errors in utility bills. With regard to heating and energy costs, for example, errors can occur when reading meters or allocating costs.
2) If the payment request is a financial burden, you should first talk to the landlord or their property management company. property management should be sought first. Extending the deadline or paying in installments are often the first solutions.
3) For recipients of social benefits, the Jobcenter may be able to cover the costs, especially if the additional payment is unexpectedly high.
These three points offer short-term solutions. In order to reduce operating and heating bills in the long term, further measures need to be considered. More on this later when we give you tips for reducing operating and heating costscosts.
Why back payments for operating costs have gone through the roof
We have already given you general reasons for the high utility bills. But sometimes it's not (only) due to the political situation in 2023/2024.
The consumption of gas and electricity is usually estimated in advance. These estimates have continued from year to year. However, especially now, when energy and gas prices are particularly high, consumption in many households is no longer estimated but read precisely. Previous estimates can no longer be correctedeven if they now differ significantly from the relevant figures.
What to do if you can't afford the additional payment
People who, as a result, are no longer able to cover their living expenses independently in a given month have the option of receiving apply for financial assistance through the financial assistance. The money is issued for the month in which, for example, a financial burden limit is exceeded due to excessive heating costs.
When are ancillary costs covered by the Jobcenter?
This depends on various factors, which should be clarified directly with the Jobcenter or the Federal Employment Agency. The decisive factor is, for example, whether the tenant lives in the apartment with high energy costs and is in financial need at the time of the utility bill in accordance with SGB II is present.
Tips: Reduce operating and heating costs
To create sustainable change, tenants and landlords must tenants and landlords must work together. For example, an energy-efficient refurbishment requires high investments from owners, some of which can be passed on to tenants. On the other hand, tenants should devote themselves to conscious energy management in their everyday lives.
Families and individuals will also have the opportunity in 2024 to save with current tariff offersSome of them cost just 25.4 cents per kilowatt hour and therefore offer significant savings compared to the tariffs of existing contracts. Anyone switching to another provider can currently reduce their costs by up to 30 percent and ease the financial pressure. *
Small mindfulness measures continue to help tenants:
- Use energy-efficient appliances
- Optimize heating behavior: Just 1 C° can reduce energy consumption by up to 6 % on cold days.
- Check energy consumption: A small energy meter can be influential.
- Short bursts of ventilation instead of permanently tilted windows
- LED lighting: Switch to LED lamps, which consume significantly less energy than conventional light bulbs.
On the part of the property manager or landlord the current insulation of the entire residential building should be checked. Good insulation on walls, windows and roofs saves costs in the long term. In addition, more attention should be paid to the regular maintenance of heating systems. Especially if households occasionally use stoves for heating.
Such measures not only reduce service charge back payments, but also the overall energy budget, which in turn can have a positive effect on the value of a property.
Get non-binding advice from EichenGlobal
As you can see, a high operating costs bill can have a lot of consequences and far-reaching real estate management management. Finding out about your options for avoiding high gas, heating and energy costs in the future is a very good approach. However, the Jobcenter's support is not only linked to various factors. Are you a tenant or in possession of separate property - communication about costs harbors the risk of conflict.
Would you like to talk to uninvolved expertsinform yourself or get an independent opinion, please contact us with pleasure.
FAQ on operating and heating cost billing
How much additional payment is normal?
The amount of a "normal" service charge back payment can vary greatly. As a general rule, additional payments are made if the advance payments do not cover the actual operating costs. A good guideline for a normal additional payment is often often between one and two months' rent.
Can tenants view the documents on the basis of which the landlord prepares the heating bill?
YesTenants have the right to inspect the documents. This right of inspection includes all receipts and documents that are relevant to the billing of service charges: Invoices, maintenance logs or contracts with energy suppliers.
Do heating costs have to be billed in accordance with the Heating Costs Ordinance or are tenants and landlords allowed to choose other allocation keys and billing methods?
The Heating Costs Ordinance (HeizkV) is a statutory regulation on the consumption-based billing of heating and hot water costs in residential buildings. By ensuring that at least 50% of the costs for heating and hot water are billed according to the tenants' actual consumption, it creates an incentive for energy savings.
In principle, the heating and hot water costs must be billed in accordance with this Heating Costs Ordinance. must be used. However, tenants and landlords can agree in the tenancy agreement to use allocation keys or billing methods that deviate from the Heating Costs Ordinance, as long as these agreements are not to the detriment of the tenant.
Please note: However, such individual agreements must be made explicitly and recorded in writing.
There are hot water and heating cost meters in the house, but the heating costs were billed according to living space. Can I insist on being billed according to consumption?
With regard to the Heating Costs Ordinance (see previous question): Yes. If your landlord bills according to living space, you can request a changeover to consumption-based billing. Submit this request in writing with reference to the Heating Costs Ordinance.
Are there upper limits for the increase in service charges?
As a rule, service charges account for around 30% of the total rent. Depending on the tenancy agreement, the service charges may also be covered in full, although this is less common. If an invoice results in unexpectedly high additional payments, the landlord can increase the advance payment for service charges. This avoids unexpected additional payments. It is important to announce and justify any increase in writing, whereby retroactive adjustments are the exception.
