When buying an apartment in Germany for yourself or for renting, you will inevitably encounter the need to learn a lot of nuances to avoid unforeseen expenses. One important point that is worth paying attention to is the maintenance of the apartment.
In apartment buildings, tenants are united in the so-called “community of apartment owners” (Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaft). Every month, all members of such communities make mandatory cash contributions. The collected money is directed to the maintenance of the building, for its repair, management. Of these, the use of common property is paid.
A certain amount of money - the share that the owner must contribute to the cashier - is called Hausgeld. It consists of several items of expenditure:
1. Operating costs (Betriebkosten) - hot and cold water, garbage collection, cleaning of common premises (entrance, house territory), electricity used in hallways, in building lighting, and also consumed by an elevator, if any. A list of these costs can be found in the Betriebskostenverordnung (BetrVK) document.
2. Additional costs - everything that is not included in the first list. Basically it is the cost of maintenance and repair of the house, as well as the cost of its management and spending on common property. An important part of these costs is maintaining a maintenance reserve. This is the “common pot” of the owners of all apartments in the house. Money is taken from it to maintain the technical condition of the house, including for urgent repairs, if you need it.
So how much do you have to pay?
As you yourself correctly guess, Hausgeld depends on the region, city, age of the building and its technical characteristics. The approximate average amount in Germany is 3 euros per month per square meter.
If the property is rented, all operating expenses (Betriebkosten or Nebenkosten) are passed on to the tenant. This is water, and electricity, and garbage collection, and much more. The owner of the apartment also incurs additional costs, including contributions to the general reserve.
