Gas, water and electricity supplied through your landlord
5 minute read
Utilities can be contracted directly with a supplier or settled through a landlord. Start with that distinction: it identifies the other contracting party and supporting documents to request. A high energy bill does not by itself reveal whether the meter, tariff or allocation caused it. Examine each component separately before deciding which correction or procedure is appropriate.
In this article
- Who holds the supply agreement?
- Individual meter, submeter or collective allocation
- Record readings when occupation changes
- Check consumption and billing period
- Recalculate tariff and fixed costs
- Collective supply needs an allocation method
- Advances are not final costs
- Identify heat and performance payments separately
- Make a focused correction request
Who holds the supply agreement?
Check the tenancy and recent invoices. A dispute over your direct energy contract does not automatically involve the landlord. If you pay the landlord an advance, identify the supplies included. List internet, communal electricity and heating separately. One direct debit can contain different payments. The Huurcommissie distinguishes utilities and other services.
Individual meter, submeter or collective allocation
Record the meter number to establish which readings belong to your home. Identify an individual consumption meter, submeter or main meter serving several homes, and the spaces connected. A submeter can measure consumption without explaining fixed costs or differences against the main meter. A simple connection diagram helps where several rooms share an installation.
Record readings when occupation changes
Photograph available readings at entry, year-end and departure with date and identifiable meter number. Keep handover reports and acknowledge missing readings honestly. For replacement meters, retain the old final and new initial readings. A discrepancy caused by meter replacement requires a different correction from a disagreement about the number of occupants or their respective periods.
Check consumption and billing period
Compare initial and final readings, units and period with the supplier invoice. Check whether an estimate was replaced by an actual reading. Fourteen months of supply cannot simply be compared with twelve advances without explanation. Request reconciliation of differing periods. The individual-meter policy explains the Huurcommissie’s treatment of this category.
Recalculate tariff and fixed costs
Higher expenditure can reflect consumption or price. Request the units, supplier account and tariffs used. Keep fixed connection charges identifiable and check double charging. A cheaper offer found online today does not establish which agreement applied to the building earlier. Obtain the actual agreement and calculation before drawing conclusions from a current market comparison.
Collective supply needs an allocation method
Ask how the total is divided, which rooms or homes count, their participation periods and treatment of shared spaces. Compare occupant changes with the calculation. Dividing proportionally by months is not necessarily the statutory method for every component. Record the selected basis and justification. Distinguish a total-consumption dispute from a disagreement concerning your own share.
Advances are not final costs
Compare allocated expenditure with every advance, including changes during the year. Use checking the annual account. A new advance needs a forecast of tariff and consumption. A one-off old correction does not necessarily recur monthly. Request the historical account and future estimate separately so an understandable balancing payment does not automatically justify every future increase.
Identify heat and performance payments separately
A heating installation or energy performance payment may involve special statutory and contractual rules. Do not assume every heating charge is identical to resupplied gas. Request the payment’s name, basis and overlap with other charges. The service charge policy distinguishes categories. A general arithmetic tool cannot determine special legal applicability.
Make a focused correction request
Provide the meter, period, readings, quantity and disputed amount, attaching the relevant photograph or invoice. The procedural rules contain conditions for annual accounts and advance disputes. Date and sector affect the route. Keep correspondence and read service charge objections. One unexplained component does not justify independently stopping all monthly payments.
- Direct supplier or landlord supply identified
- Meter number and connection type
- Dated readings and replacement-meter evidence
- Supplier invoice and tariffs used
- Occupation period and allocation method
- Advances and your own arithmetic check
Where can a difference arise?
| Component | Signal | Focused question |
|---|---|---|
| Meter | Different number | Which meter serves my home? |
| Quantity | Estimated reading | Which actual reading replaces the estimate? |
| Tariff | Unexplained price rise | Which supplier invoice was used? |
| Allocation | One main meter for several rooms | How was my share calculated? |
| Advances | Missing payment | Which prepayments were deducted? |
Worked example: correct tariff, incorrect period
A tenant moves in halfway through the year. The account uses year-end readings despite a photographed reading at key handover. They request separation of consumption at their entry date and attach that photograph.
This does not establish that every fixed charge must be divided by days. It demonstrates why the full annual quantity needs explanation before being treated as personal consumption. Check quantity and period first, then tariff and fixed charges. This illustrates a checking method rather than assessing a real connection.
Explore your situation
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose a supplier if I pay the landlord?
That depends on the connection and agreement. Identify the contracting party and independently served meter. Lack of your own supplier contract does not mean no right to check passed-on costs.
Why is a neighbour comparison limited?
Area, occupants, installation, period, tariffs and metering may differ. A striking difference can justify questions without proving an error. Compare equivalent components and assumptions first.
Must I accept an estimated reading?
Ask who estimated it and whether an actual reading exists. Retain photos and handover records. Later corrections may affect earlier periods, so request reconciliation between accounts.
What if I cannot access the meter?
Request a reading and practical arrangements for relevant handovers. Document lack of access and information requests. Do not enter an unavailable reading as if personally measured.
Sources and editorial accountability
Official sources support the legal explanation. Relevant passages include direct references; the sources for this article are listed below.
Sources consulted on
- HuurcommissieHuurcommissie — utilities with an individual meterhuurcommissie.nl
- HuurcommissieHuurcommissie — services and utilitieshuurcommissie.nl
- HuurcommissieHuurcommissie — service charge policy bookhuurcommissie.nl
- HuurcommissieHuurcommissie — procedural ruleshuurcommissie.nl
The links open the original publications, usually in Dutch.
Our editorial approachThe rules depend, among other things, on your contract date, type of accommodation and rental sector. Have your own circumstances and any deadlines assessed.
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Not legally reviewed yetThis version has not been reviewed by a lawyer or legal professional. Checking sources or editing text is not legal approval.
Editorial team Huurrecht in Nederland
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