Every year, we receive many questions about heating and utility bills. We have answered the most frequently asked questions for you here and hope that this will help you.
You can find the Property management team responsible for you using our search function.
You can find information on how to save money on waste disposal charges below, tips on saving energy and on correct heating and ventilation can be found here.
As in many other areas, there are always cost increases in operating costs. In particular, there are regular price increases for energy costs for heating and water, but also for communal electricity, which is used to light the stairwells, among other things. If the advance payment remains the same, this can result in an additional payment or a lower credit balance.
Most of the garden maintenance is carried out by SBV's field service. The work is based on a defined catalogue of services, which is used to evaluate the work and determine the corresponding costs. The distribution of costs is based on the so-called maintenance area, which is measured for all properties and represents the distribution yardstick for the costs specified in the catalogue of services.
An additional payment is made if the advance payment made is not sufficient to cover the costs incurred. The advance payment is a monthly average calculated on the basis of the costs incurred for a whole year. However, as heating costs are higher in the winter months than in the summer months, the calculated average value is usually no longer sufficient, resulting in an additional payment.
Heating costs are only billed at 50 % according to actual consumption. The remaining 50 % of the total costs are allocated to the individual tenants of a unit according to the living space. This is provided for by law because, for example, as a tenant of a medium-sized flat, you also benefit from the fact that the tenants of neighbouring flats heat their flats sufficiently.
Surface water is water that hits a sealed surface and is discharged into the sewage system. This is rainwater or garden water, for example. Charges are calculated based on the size of the sealed surfaces on a property, e.g. the floor area of the building or the area of paved parking spaces.
As a rule, the remaining amount is offset against the subsequent rent, so that no rent is payable in the first month after the heating and operating cost statement and a reduced amount in the second month.
An interim settlement could only be made if an interim balance could be determined for all types of operating costs, which would form the basis for a settlement. However, as there is no "counter" for the costs of garden maintenance, for example, a settlement can only be made once the total costs have been determined at the end of the settlement period.
The heat cost allocators on the radiators store the readings on the 1st and 15th of each month. These values are retrieved via the radio system and transmitted directly to our office. Access to your flat is no longer necessary. You have the option of reading the values directly from the appliances for checking purposes.
Recipients of citizen's allowance are obliged to submit the statements they receive to the ARGE promptly and in any case. In almost all cases, additional claims from the statement are accepted.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Property management team responsible for you.
