An advance payment is an estimate of the annual costs that you will incur. The landlord is not allowed to make a profit on this; it is about your actual consumption. The law determines for which matters service costs may be charged. As a tenant, you are entitled to an annual statement of the service costs from your landlord.
What do I pay service costs for?
Service costs may, for example, relate to the furniture already present in your room, the cleaning costs of common areas such as stairwells, and the costs of gas, water and electricity. Landlords are legally obliged to calculate the actual costs incurred at the end of the year and to settle them with you.
If you have paid too much service costs, you must receive a refund of the excess amount paid. You can reclaim these costs for the accommodation you have lived in over the past two years, even if you have moved in the meantime. With the help of Huurteam Goirle, we can check whether your current service costs are reasonable and help you with the settlement for the past year.