Heat, water and electricity consumption

The Rent Act sets out rules for how a landlord can charge and bill a tenant for their usage.
If the landlord provides heating and water heating, the landlord can claim reimbursement for these expenses. These costs cannot be included in the rent.

If the tenant's water and cooling consumption is measured individually, the landlord can claim reimbursement for these expenses.
For electricity, the landlord can only claim a refund for the tenant's consumption if it is individually metered. Otherwise, electricity is included in the rent.

Warmth
The landlord can charge on account for heating, even if there is no consumption meter attached to the property. The cost of heating can be divided according to the square metres or volume of the tenancy. If a majority of the tenants in the building agree, you can demand that the landlord install consumption meters so that the allocation is based on these meters in the future.

Installing meters is considered an improvement and may result in an improvement surcharge.

Water
In order for the landlord to charge on account for water, there must be individual consumption meters attached to the tenancy. If not, the water consumption is included in the rent.

Tenants' House has brought many cases about this, resulting in tenants receiving refunds for illegally charged amounts.

Electricity
If the landlord is also responsible for electricity, the same rules apply as for water. The landlord can only charge on account for electricity if there is an individual consumption meter attached to the property. However, in most cases, electricity is settled directly with the utility companies.