Ancillary costs - List of all unavoidable costs

• Additional costs in the overview
  • 1. Liable to the tenant operating costs
  • 2. Additional costs not allocable to the tenant
• Overview of the costs including examples

Not only the rent or the monthly installments for the home lead to the financial burden. There are additional costs, which must be paid. We show you which positions are unavoidable and which costs arise.

Incidental costs lead again and again to disputes, since their height is often surprising. Tenants fear that the lineup is flawed and homeowners are shocked when they receive the bills of municipal utilities, waste companies and energy companies at the end of the year. Landlords ask themselves what ancillary costs they can transfer to the tenants and how they should proceed best in a multi-family house. If you have taken out a loan for the financing of the house, then the additional costs must be calculated already in the planning phase. They lead to a monthly or annual burden and are paid in addition to the installments. In our list you will find out which costs are unavoidable.

How are the additional costs of the house billed ">

Additional costs in the overview

1. Liable to the tenant operating costs

heating costs

The amount of heating costs depends on consumption. It is based on the heating behavior, the living space, the form of energy and the condition of the heating system. For a 100 m² apartment you should expect on average an annual cost of around 1, 300 euros . An electric heater is the most expensive option in this case, Pelett heaters are considered one of the cheapest types of heating.

Cost of water (sewage and fresh water)

The water charges are divided into two parts in most communities. On the one hand you have to pay for the fresh water and on the other you have to pay for the wastewater. The calculation is primarily based on the amount consumed. In addition, an additional fee may be charged for the rainwater, depending on the built-up area. If fresh water and wastewater are combined, fees of around 4 to 6 euros per m³ are incurred. Each community sets its own prices. For rainwater per 100 m² of built-up area around 80 euros per year are due.

Tip: Landlords of multi-family houses must regulate in the lease, whether you want to transfer the water charges to the individual tenants based on the people living in the households or the actual consumption.

Cost of electricity

The electricity costs are determined by the consumption and the chosen tariff. For a detached house with a floor space of 160 m² you can calculate monthly expenses of 100 to 150 euros .

garbage collection

The garbage fees are determined by the respective municipalities. They can be determined in several ways:

• Number of persons living in the household
• Provided number of garbage cans (plus a basic flat rate)
• Number of garbage bags purchased by the municipality (plus a basic flat rate)
• Number of emptying carried out (plus a basic flat rate)

In some communities, picking up the "Blue Tonne" (for waste paper and cardboard) is free of charge. While you can influence the costs in many parts of Germany by the amount of waste, the fees are firmly defined in other municipalities. On average, you have to expect between 5 and 10 euros a month and a person.

Maintenance of the heater

The heater should be serviced once or twice a year. Calculate costs from 70 to 300 euros . The maintenance does not include repairs but only the visual and technical functional testing, cleaning and replacement of seals. Without maintenance there is a risk of malfunctions, the risk to the occupants increases and the energy consumption is not optimal.

street cleaning

Homeowners are responsible for cleaning the sidewalk. In many communities in the countryside, they also need to clean the street in front of the house itself. The work can either be transferred to the tenants by leasing contract, carried out yourself or you hire a company. The exact cost depends on the size of the area to be cleaned. For an average single-family home, you should count on around 50 euros per month. In winter, you must also organize the evacuation of the sidewalk and the sprinkling of salt.

land tax

The property tax depends on the land area in most municipalities. A single-family house including garden and yard costs about 50 to 100 euros per year.

Expenses for janitors, gardeners and cleaners

This cost item depends on the providers and the services booked. It can be difficult to estimate flat rate. If you hire a specialized company and book only a few services, you have no good negotiating position and the costs are higher. If you own several houses, you can hire a caretaker and save money. Gardeners charge around 35 to 70 euros plus VAT per working hour. Cleaning staff will be remunerated with 10 to 40 euros plus VAT, depending on whether you book the workforce through a brokerage firm or hire directly.

Liability insurance, building insurance

Insurance is very important to protect against various dangers. If a passerby crashes in the winter on the not cleared sidewalk, you are responsible as a homeowner for the financial consequences. In case of fire, the entire house can be destroyed and financial ruin threatens. Many of the dangers can be prevented by insurance. The insurance companies determine the costs on the basis of the services included, the size of the building and the regional risks.

Example EFH

The house and landowner liability is in our example with a direct insurer already for 33 € to have annually.

The homeowners insurance for 120m² of living space and a carport costs € 98. It insures without deductibles: house, garages, carports, central heating systems, electrical installations, sanitary installations and built-in wardrobes. The following extensions are optional:

• Extended elementary damage with 1, 000 EUR deductible, eg due to flooding or earthquake plus 43 Euro
• Certain other pieces of land up to 20, 000 EUR eg enclosures, roofing

Tip: You have a certain amount of negotiation room for the costs. If you conclude the contracts through an intermediary, you can negotiate discounts, but you need a little negotiating skills. Get a variety of offers and opt for great deals that include all the services you need.

chimney sweeper

The chimney sweep cleans the fume hood and checks the flue gas emission values. It is ordered once a year or every two years, depending on the region. The costs amount to around 30 to 50 euros per year.

2. Additional costs not allocable to the tenant

Fees for the account management

Account maintenance fees are incurred by transfer of incidental costs. Some banks benefit from free accounts as long as you do not use them commercially. As a landlord you can therefore take no toll-free offers. If you use a self-used property, then various free account options are offered. Above all direct banks and online banks offer favorable offers. If it is a paid account, then monthly basic fees of 3 to 6 euros and costs of 0.10 to 0.30 euros per transfer are due.

Tip: Pay the additional costs annually and not monthly, then you save account maintenance fees.

Expenses for the caretaker

A caretaker is used in apartment buildings. He is the contact person for the rental parties and takes over all organizational tasks. Possible services include the monitoring of rental payments, the commissioning of necessary repairs and the conclusion of leases. The costs are individually negotiated and depend on the scope of the order. Often you have to expect between 3 and 10 percent of rental income.

Repairs and repairs

In every house sooner or later there will be repairs: the heating will go out, taps will drip or the light will not work anymore. To avoid these surprising costs, you should set aside a fixed monthly amount. In an emergency you can fall back on the money. While small repairs are not dramatic, large sums are required in the event of a leaky roof. It has proven to pay per month in a self-occupied detached house 100 euros in one account. If the money is not needed, you have saved a nice sum after a few years and can use it after a possible sale of the house.

Tip: Talk to your bank about the appropriate investment form. You need to have access to the money at all times, but at best you will not need it for small repairs.

Overview of the costs including examples

• Heating costs:
  • Heating costs amount to about 1, 300 per year for a 100 m² apartment.
• Cost of water (sewage and fresh water)
  • For a family of 3, you should budget around 700 euros a year.
• Cost of electricity
  • In an average family home, you can expect to spend between 100 and 150 euros.
• garbage collection
  • per person you have to calculate with annual fees of around 90 euros (as of 2016, municipality in Hesse)
• Maintenance of the heater
  • Maintenance of heating for a detached house costs about 80 euros for gas heating.
• street cleaning
  • If possible, carry out the cleaning of the sidewalk yourself or pass on this task to the tenants.
• land tax
  • per year about 50 to 100 euros per family house.
• Expenses for janitors, gardeners and cleaners
  • The costs depend on the scope of services. An example is the cutting of the hedge (length 70 meters). In this case you have to reckon with costs between 150 and 300 euros. The lawn mowing of an area of ​​700 m² costs about 100 euros in the case of a contracted specialist company.
• Liability insurance, building insurance
  • Insurance package for a single-family home must be scheduled at around 150 to 500 euros per year.
• chimney sweeper
  • Costs for the chimney sweep cause in a single-family home (location Hessen, 2016) around 30 euros per year.
• Fees for the account management
  • If you live in the house yourself and you have opted for the annual payment of incidental costs, then about 40 euros account maintenance fee per year is due.
• Expenses for the caretaker
  • The expenses for the property manager fall only on rented objects. They are individually negotiated and depend on the scope of services.
• Repairs and repairs
  • If you deposit 100 euros per month into an account, you will have a reserve in case of emergency, which you can use to spend.

Tips for quick readers:

• heating costs
• Cost of water (sewage and fresh water)
• Cost of electricity
• garbage collection
• Maintenance of the heater
• street cleaning
• land tax
• Expenses for janitors, gardeners and cleaners
• Liability insurance, building insurance
• chimney sweeper
• Fees for the account management
• Expenses for the caretaker
• Repairs and repairs