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Block of flats: Are tenants underestimating energy costs?
Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa
Gas and oil have become much more expensive.
This should become clear to many tenants at the latest with the next utility bill.
However, landlords fear that not everyone is prepared for additional payments.
In order to be able to pay oil, gas and district heating bills, the first landlords are now already pushing for higher monthly advance payments in the current accounting year, reports the German Tenants' Association.
The Haus und Grund owners’ association also registered in its consultations that the high costs are a concern for landlords: “In our associations, too, there are more and more inquiries about the rising energy prices – for example, about the question of when advance payments can be adjusted,” it says.
Landlords are not entitled to higher payments
The extent to which higher advance payments have already been agreed is unclear.
"The desire is at least increasingly being approached by the tenants," said tenants' association spokeswoman Jutta Hartmann.
So far we have no knowledge of major conflicts.
Hartmann said: »Landlords are not entitled to demand higher advance payments during the year.
The landlord only has a claim to the payment of increased ancillary cost advance payments after the settlement has been submitted.« Anyone who can should put money aside so that they can then also pay.
"For everyone else, we need state support for the duration of the energy crisis," the tenants' association demanded.
A moratorium on layoffs is also necessary.
It should ensure that no one can be terminated who cannot pay their utility bills on time due to sharply increased heating costs.
Rental households should be given at least six months to settle their debts.
Actually it's 30 days.
Tenants and landlords should seek dialogue
Property owners, on the other hand, are concerned that they will ultimately have to pay.
The landlords do not want to be responsible for the tenant's consumption-related costs, as is the case with house and land.
"From our point of view, there should not be a moratorium on dismissals," said the association's managing director, Alexander Wiech.
"First of all, however, tenants and landlords should seek a dialogue in order to come to a solution - especially about higher advance payments."
The first corona lockdown showed that solutions are possible between both sides without state intervention.
Back then, more people were unemployed and hundreds of thousands switched to short-time work.
According to the landlord, the rents continued to be paid reliably.
The authorities are also concerned about the increased energy prices and fear that consumers are not correctly assessing the seriousness of the situation.
In dealing with the gas crisis, the Federal Network Agency spoke out in favor of price signals such as higher discounts.
Rolf Buch, head of Germany's largest housing group Vonovia, warned in SPIEGEL that for some tenants, the additional payments could amount to two months' rent.
Energy costs have increased by 35 percent within a year
Above all, sharply increased energy prices have been driving inflation for months.
The Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24 pushed oil and gas prices higher.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, people in Germany had to spend 35.3 percent more on household energy and fuel in April than in the same month last year.
In March it was even 39.5 percent more.
Overall, consumer prices in April were 7.4 percent higher than in the same month last year.
In March, the annual rate of inflation had already reached its highest level since German reunification in 1990, at 7.3 percent.
mmq/dpa