How to Check Your Heizkostenabrechnung as a Tenant (2026)
How to Check Your Heizkostenabrechnung as a Tenant
50 to 70 per cent must be billed by consumption (§ 7 HeizkostenV), otherwise you may cut by 15%.
Your landlord has twelve months to deliver the statement (§ 556 Abs. 3 BGB); after that no back-payment is possible. You have twelve months from receipt to object.
§ 12 Abs. 1 HeizkostenVIn 60 seconds
Between 50 and 70 per cent of heating and hot-water costs must be billed by consumption (§ 7 HeizkostenV); the rest goes by floor area.
Where nothing was billed by consumption, missing, faulty or unread meters, for instance, you may cut your share by 15% (§ 12 HeizkostenV).
The landlord must bill within twelve months of the end of the accounting period; after that a back-claim is excluded (§ 556 Abs. 3 BGB).
Your objection period is a cut-off: raise objections, including the right to cut, in writing within twelve months of receipt, or they are normally lost.
Where doubts remain, ask to inspect the invoices and meter-reading records (§ 259 BGB).
What the law says
Where the costs of supplying heat or hot water are not billed by consumption contrary to this Regulation, the user has the right to reduce their share of the costs by 15 per cent. Working translation; the German original is the binding text.
What to check, where, and what leverage
| What you check | Where in the statement | Your leverage |
|---|---|---|
| Consumption share 50–70% | The heating/hot-water allocation key | § 7 HeizkostenV. Must be in that band |
| No consumption metering / base costs > 50% | The base/consumption split | § 12 HeizkostenV: cut by 15% |
| Your own meter readings | Opening and closing readings | Inspection of records (§ 259 BGB) |
| Floor area for base costs | The m² figure | Demand a correction |
| Advance payments | Payments made | Reconcile against your bank statement |
| Receipt & deadline | The date it arrived | § 556 Abs. 3 BGB, 12 months |
Check the headline figures with the free Nebenkosten checker.
What it means for each side
- Note the date of receipt: your objection period runs from it.
- Check the meter readings in the statement against your own.
- Assert the right to cut in writing and within the period.
- Ask to inspect the records if doubts remain.
- Bill 50 to 70 per cent by consumption.
- Keep meters working and read, otherwise the reduction applies.
- Observe the twelve-month period.
- Show the allocation key for the base costs openly.
Common mistakes
Everything by floor area although meters exist. The 15% reduction then applies.
The consumption share must lie between 50 and 70 per cent.
Check the opening and closing readings against your own notes.
It is a cut-off. After it even well-founded objections are lost.
What to do next
Note the date and period, and check the landlord billed in time.
Check the consumption share: is it between 50 and 70 per cent?
Reconcile your own meter readings, the base-cost allocation key and your advance payments.
On a breach, assert the 15% in writing and ask to inspect the records (§ 259 BGB).
Frequently asked questions
Can I cut the heating costs by 15%?
Yes, if the Heiz- und Warmwasserkosten (heating and hot-water costs) were not billed by consumption as required by the Heizkostenverordnung, for example billed 100% by floor area or by number of occupants, with missing or broken meters, or with a base-cost share above 50%. Then you may cut your share by 15% (§ 12 HeizkostenV). The reduction applies to the entire heating and hot-water cost. You must, however, actively assert this Kürzungsrecht (reduction right) towards the landlord.
By when must the Heizkostenabrechnung arrive?
No later than 12 months after the end of the billing period (§ 556 Abs. 3 BGB). For the 2025 billing year that is 31 December 2026. If it arrives later, the landlord generally can no longer demand a resulting Nachzahlung (back-payment), unless the delay is not their fault. A Guthaben (credit) in your favour, however, you must still receive even after the deadline.
How do I check the Verbrauchsanteil?
Under § 7 HeizkostenV, 50 to 70 percent of the heating and hot-water costs must be distributed by measured consumption, and the rest (30 to 50 percent) by floor area. Check which percentage the statement applies to consumption (Verbrauchsanteil, the consumption share) and which to the Grundkosten (base costs), and compare the recorded Zählerstände (meter readings) with your own notes. If the base-cost share is above 50% or there is no consumption metering at all, the Kürzungsrecht under § 12 HeizkostenV applies.
How do I object to the Heizkostenabrechnung?
In writing and within 12 months of receiving the statement (§ 556 Abs. 3 S. 5 BGB). Name the disputed items specifically, request Belegeinsicht (inspection of the original invoices, § 259 BGB) where in doubt, and explicitly assert any 15% Kürzungsrecht (§ 12 HeizkostenV). Send the objection with proof of delivery, for example by registered post.
Can I inspect the invoices behind the Heizkostenabrechnung?
Yes. As a tenant you have a right to Belegeinsicht (inspection of supporting documents, § 259 BGB): the heat supplier's invoices, maintenance contracts, meter-reading records and the consumption figures of all units. The landlord need not mail the documents but must grant inspection on request. If inspection is refused, you may withhold a Nachzahlung until it is granted.
This page gives general information as at the date shown. It does not replace legal advice on an individual case.