Request credit from ancillary costs statement from the landlord in writing

There is often a dispute between tenants and landlords about utility billing, especially when it comes to high back payments. However, if you have a credit balance, you should request this in writing from the landlord if he does not pay it himself anyway.

Payment of the credit

• The billing of the operating costs must take place no later than the "end of the twelfth month after the end of the billing period", see § 556 Para. 3 pp. 2 BGB. This means that you should receive the statement for the previous year from your landlord by the end of December at the latest.
• If there is a credit, your landlord will usually pay you the credit by offsetting it against the next due rent. This is particularly the case with large housing associations.
• If this does not happen, however, you should get the credit from your landlord after a reasonable period, i. H. request in writing after 30 days. Please refer exactly to the billing period and the billing of your landlord.
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• If your landlord does not pay, you can, after another reminder, deduct the credit from the next advance payment for ancillary costs.


Incorrect utility billing - what to do?

You open the letter from your landlord or your building cooperative full of expectation ...

Dispute over the utility bill

• In some cases, you may have calculated a credit yourself, but this cannot be found in the statement from your landlord. Then you should defend yourself against the accounting. You must notify your landlord of any objections to this no later than the end of the twelfth month after receipt of the statement.
• If the landlord does not pay you the self-calculated balance from the utility bill, you should not reduce the rent under any circumstances. Because then you may be in arrears with the rental payment, and in the worst case scenario you will give your landlord a reason to give you notice without notice.
• In the case of a self-calculated credit, which you request from the landlord, you should be able to explain to him in your letter exactly what the credit results from.

As a rule, a credit from the utility bill is used with the next rent charged, you will only have to request this in writing from the landlord in exceptional cases.