Next to the bare rental price, your landlord can charge other costs. These are called service costs or service charges. A landlord is entitled to ask for service costs, but there are juridical requirements. The landlord can only charge service costs for incurred cost, usually this consists of cost for utilities (Gas/Water/Light), movable property (furniture/microwave/washingmachine) and can also consist of internet/tv-connection, cleaning, certain types of insurance. If the landlord also takes care of small daily repairs, he is also allowed to charge you in the form of service costs. The service costs function as a reimbursement for the costs that your landlord makes to grant you the services. It is not allowed for a landlord to make a profit off the service costs he charges you.
The landlord has to provide you with an annual bill of the service costs to determine whether the total amount corresponds with the monthly payments you make for the service costs. This bill needs to be provided within six months after the end of the year (so your bill for 2019 should arrive before july 1st 2020). If the costs are lower than your monthly payments, the landlord will have to return the difference with what you have paid. If the costs are higher than your monthly payments, you will have to pay the amount that is still required. When your landlord does not provide the bill or charges costs that are not allowed to be charged to tenants, Huurteams Nijmegen can help you to determine the amount of the service costs and retrieve the amount that you paid too much.
Note: During the year utility costs are usually paid in advance. At the end of the year a balance sheet is being made. Deviations between the deposits that was paid in advance and the amount to be paid can occur. If your deposit was higher you will have the right to have the difference returned to you, if your deposit was lower you will have to pay the difference.
Did you not get an annual bill or do you suspect your landlord included costs that should not be paid by you? Submit your case and we will retrieve the annual bill from your landlord and check it free of charge!