Checking service charges and the annual account

What qualifies as a service charge?

Examples include shared-area cleaning, a caretaker and use of movable furniture. The service must relate to the tenancy and actually be supplied. A service-package label does not automatically make a payment permissible. Describe what you receive: which space is cleaned, how often and by whom? The Huurcommissie overview helps identify categories.

Basic rent is a different payment

Basic rent pays for use of the accommodation. Major maintenance cannot simply be renamed and charged as a service. Compare repair charges with maintenance responsibilities. For a maintenance package, identify the small tasks included. Work already chargeable to the landlord requires a different assessment from an agreed fund for minor supplies. The particular task and relevant conditions matter more than the package’s commercial name.

Read the contractual arrangements

Find the original specification and later amendments. List each service, monthly advance and commencement date. Request explanation where an amount is missing. If only one total without identifiable basic rent was agreed, investigate all-in rent first. A single transfer can also contain several explicitly agreed components, so the bank-payment format does not decide the question.

Actual costs and reasonable allocation

A supplier invoice does not by itself establish your share. Check the building, period and service covered. Where several homes are involved, examine the allocation method: unit numbers, consumption or another appropriate basis. An increase may be explicable, but request both the total and personal calculation. Trace agreement, delivery, invoice and individual charge, rather than simply collecting unexplained receipts.

Advances and final settlement

An advance is a payment on account. Lower actual costs may produce repayment and higher costs an additional balance. The landlord normally accounts within six months after the calendar year. Read checking the annual account. Increasing an advance differs from the annual basic-rent increase. Keep the questions separate so an energy discussion does not accidentally become an objection under the wrong procedure.

Examine utilities separately

Supply through a landlord may use an individual meter, submeter or collective system. The arrangement determines the evidence needed. Request readings, supplier accounts and allocation rather than comparing only a neighbour’s tariff under another agreement. Heat and energy performance payments can follow different rules. The utilities guide helps identify categories before different payments are added together as if identical.

Date the changes from 2027 carefully

The Rijksoverheid describes new service charge rules for agreements from 1 January 2027. Do not apply future rules as though they already cover every ongoing agreement in October 2026. Record agreement date and accounting year. If an existing agreement is being amended, ask precisely which arrangement changes and on what basis. For an earlier contract, the tenant and landlord may jointly agree to apply the new rules nevertheless. Check that agreement separately: the announcement alone does not change an existing contract.

Dispute an unclear item specifically

Identify what is absent: supply, invoice, allocation or contractual agreement. Send a question for each item and retain the answer. The Huurcommissie procedural rules distinguish agreement dates and sectors. From 1 July 2024 agreements, it can handle service disputes across sectors. Older liberalised contracts may require written agreement for advice. Continue with objecting to service charges.

Prepare a verifiable file

Use a consistent record per item, including documents that prove something. Identify missing invoices without presenting estimates as observed figures. The tool compares advances and accounts arithmetically; a balanced calculation does not establish every charge’s legality. Keep undisputed elements identifiable so the actual scope of the dispute remains clear.

• Original specification and amendments per service
• Monthly amounts and payment evidence
• Accounting year and occupation period
• Requested invoices and received responses
• Allocation method and your share