Got a service charge statement? Calculate the deadline for objections
Your landlord bills the running costs of the building for a period.
How to recognise the letter
- The sender is the landlord or property manager.
- It lists costs like heating, water, waste and caretaker for a period.
- At the end, an additional payment or a credit.
Which deadline applies?
Objections (Einwendungen): twelve months after receipt (§ 556 Abs. 3 S. 5 BGB). If the end falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline ends on the next working day (§ 193 BGB). The calculator on this page works out the exact day – step by step.
The landlord must send the statement within twelve months of the end of the accounting period (§ 556 Abs. 3 S. 2 BGB); a later additional claim is as a rule excluded.
What happens if you do nothing?
After the deadline you can as a rule no longer raise objections; an additional payment becomes due.
Your options
- Ask to see the receipts
- Raise objections in writing
- Advice: tenants' association
Who can help?
Tenants' association (Mieterverein)
Terms in this letter
Frequently asked questions
How long can I raise objections?
Until the end of the twelfth month after you received the statement (§ 556 Abs. 3 S. 5 BGB). You can ask to see the receipts.
Did the statement arrive too late?
The landlord must send it at the latest twelve months after the end of the accounting period (§ 556 Abs. 3 S. 2 BGB). After that, an additional claim is as a rule excluded. A tenants' association checks this.
How much time do I have?
Twelve months after receipt (§ 556 Abs. 3 S. 5 BGB). If the end falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline ends on the next working day (§ 193 BGB). The calculator above shows the exact day with every step.
Who can help me?
Tenants' association (Mieterverein).
General information, not legal advice. Whether this decision is correct and what is right in your case is for an advice centre or a lawyer to say. Laws link to the official German text at gesetze-im-internet.de.