Utilities and service charges in rentals, by country
Landlords in most countries may bill a tenant for more than rent, but the statutes draw the line in different places. Germany and Austria let the landlord pass on building running costs and fix a hard deadline for the yearly statement (twelve months after the period in Germany, 30 June of the next year in Austria), while the Netherlands gives six months and lets a tenant ask the rent tribunal for up to 24 months more. Norway and Sweden regulate mainly metered consumption such as electricity, fuel, water and heating, Spain requires a written agreement stating the yearly amount, and Ontario allows a utility share only with the tenant’s written consent and a matching rent cut.
Scope of this guide
Canada: the Canada Labour Code (federal sector) and the Ontario statutes that LawAsked has loaded. Other provinces are not compared.
| Country | What may be passed on | How it is set | Yearly statement and time limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Operating costs and ongoing public charges of the building | Equal monthly instalments based on last year (flat-rate billing), or actual costs shown with receipts | Yearly, by 30 June of the following year; costs due more than a year earlier cannot be claimed |
| Canada | A share of a utility the landlord supplies, in buildings of up to six units | Needs the tenant’s written consent, notice, and a matching rent reduction | |
| Germany | Operating costs (Betriebskosten), if the lease says so | Agreed in the lease as a flat sum or as advance payments; yearly settlement of advances | Statement within 12 months after the billing period; later extra claims by the landlord are barred; tenant objects within 12 months of receipt |
| Spain | General building costs that cannot be individualised, if agreed; metered services always | The agreement must be in writing and state the yearly amount at the date of the contract | |
| Netherlands | Metered electricity, gas and water, plus service costs for other goods and services tied to living there | The amount the parties agree; statutory rules or a reasonable fee apply if they do not agree | Itemised overview within 6 months after each calendar year; a request to the rent tribunal is possible up to 24 months after that deadline |
| Norway | Electricity and fuel used; water and sewage when billed by measured use | Must be agreed; the cost is shared in proportion between the users of the property | On the tenant’s request, an account every year; no deadline stated |
| Sweden | Heating, cooling, hot water, electricity, and water and sewage fees, in the cases listed | Rent is a fixed amount; usage-based charges only with a negotiation clause, in one- or two-family houses, or for individually metered water |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Mietrechtsgesetz § 21
- Covers tenancies under the Mietrechtsgesetz. The statute text ingested shows the heading of the list of operating costs but not its items, so what counts as an operating cost is not summarised here.
- The one-year limit quoted applies where the landlord bills actual costs month by month instead of using the flat-rate method.
Als Betriebskosten gelten die vom Vermieter aufgewendeten Kosten füreinen gleichbleibenden Teilbetrag zur Anrechnung bringen (Jahrespauschalverrechnung)Der Vermieter hat die im Lauf des Kalenderjahres fällig gewordenen Betriebskosten und öffentlichen Abgaben spätestens zum 30. Juni des folgenden Kalenderjahres abzurechnenBetriebskosten und Abgaben,deren Fälligkeit vor mehr als einem Jahr eingetreten ist, können nicht mehr geltend gemacht werden. Canada
- Rule
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario) s. 138
- Ontario statute only. The statute sets the conditions but leaves the notice and reduction rules to regulations that are not ingested.
- The section does not state a deadline for a yearly statement, so that column is left empty.
A landlord of a building containing not more than six rental units who supplies a utility to each of the rental units in the building may, with the written consent of the tenant, charge the tenant a portion of the cost of the utility in accordance with the prescribed rulesthe rent for the rental unit is reduced in accordance with the prescribed rules Germany
- Rule
- BGB § 556
- Residential tenancies. The landlord is excused from the 12-month bar only where the delay is not the landlord’s fault (the statute says "es sei denn, der Vermieter hat die verspätete Geltendmachung nicht zu vertreten").
- A term that departs from these rules to the tenant’s disadvantage is void.
Die Vertragsparteien können vereinbaren, dass der Mieter Betriebskosten trägt.Über die Vorauszahlungen für Betriebskosten ist jährlich abzurechnenDie Abrechnung ist dem Mieter spätestens bis zum Ablauf des zwölften Monats nach Ende des Abrechnungszeitraums mitzuteilen.Nach Ablauf dieser Frist ist die Geltendmachung einer Nachforderung durch den Vermieter ausgeschlossenEinwendungen gegen die Abrechnung hat der Mieter dem Vermieter spätestens bis zum Ablauf des zwölften Monats nach Zugang der Abrechnung mitzuteilen.Eine zum Nachteil des Mieters von Absatz 1, Absatz 2 Satz 2, Absatz 3 oder Absatz 3a abweichende Vereinbarung ist unwirksam. Spain
- Rule
- Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos art. 20
- Housing leases. The article also says taxes tied to the home cannot be imposed on the tenant except where the tenant is the taxpayer, and community fees cannot be charged in buildings that are not in condominium regime.
- The article does not state a deadline for a yearly statement, so that column is left empty.
Las partes podrán pactar que los gastos generales para el adecuado sostenimiento del inmueble, sus servicios, cargas y responsabilidades que no sean susceptibles de individualizaciónPara su validez, este pacto deberá constar por escrito y determinar el importe anual de dichos gastos a la fecha del contrato.Los gastos por servicios con que cuente la finca arrendada que se individualicen mediante aparatos contadores serán en todo caso de cuenta del arrendatario. Netherlands
- Rule
- BW Boek 7 art. 237, 259 and 260
- Residential tenancies. On the end of the tenancy the overview covers the calendar year already finished.
- The tenant may ask to inspect the books and documents behind the overview.
Onder servicekosten wordt verstaan de vergoeding voor de overige zaken en diensten die geleverd worden in verband met de bewoning van de woonruimte. beloopt het bedrag dat door de huurder en verhuurder is overeengekomenDe verhuurder verstrekt de huurder elk jaar, uiterlijk zes maanden na het verstrijken van een kalenderjaar Het verzoek kan worden gedaan tot uiterlijk vierentwintig maanden nadat de in artikel 259 lid 2 genoemde termijn voor het verstrekken van het overzicht door de verhuurder is verstreken. Norway
- Rule
- Husleieloven § 3-1 and § 3-4
- Residential and other rentals under the Act. The statute speaks of the landlord’s own costs for consumption, shared in proportion between users.
- The sections state that the tenant can demand a yearly account, but not by when it must arrive.
Det kan likevel avtales at utleierens utgifter ved forbruk av elektrisitet og brensel skal fordeles forholdsmessig mellom brukerne av eiendommenDet samme gjelder utleierens utgifter til vann og avløp når disse utgiftene skal betales etter målt forbruk. kan leieren kreve at utleieren hvert år legger fram regnskap som viser størrelsen på kostnadene og fordelingen av disse på eiendommens husrom Sweden
- Rule
- Jordabalken 12 kap. 19 §
- Residential flats. Where heating, cooling, hot water or electricity can be charged by individual metering, the charge must start from the measured consumption.
- The section does not state a deadline for a yearly statement, so that column is left empty.
Hyran för bostadslägenheter ska vara till beloppet bestämd i hyresavtaletDetta gäller dock inte ersättning för kostnader som hänför sig till lägenhetens uppvärmning, nedkylning, förseende med varmvatten eller elektrisk ström eller avgifter för vatten och avloppom lägenheten är belägen i ett en- eller tvåfamiljshus eller inom en ägarlägenhetsfastighet Countries not in this table yet
The United States, Australia and France have no ingested tenancy statute that covers this. The ingested Housing Act 2004 (United Kingdom) and Japan’s Land and Building Lease Act do not state the rule, so those two are not shown either.
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
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The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit LawAsked and link to this page. Quoted statute text stays under the terms of its official source.
How to cite this page
LawAsked, “Utilities and service charges in rentals, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/service-charges-billing (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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