Nebenkosten-Checker
Check for free whether your Nebenkostenabrechnung (operating-cost statement) is on time, and which cost items are even apportionable to the tenant. Two checks, one tool, for landlords and tenants.
1. Check the deadline (§ 556 (3) BGB)
The statement must reach the tenant no later than 12 months after the end of the accounting period. After that, the landlord can no longer demand a Nachzahlung (back-payment).
Please choose the accounting year and the received date.
2. Check the cost items (§ 2 BetrKV)
Select the items from your statement. We show what is umlagefähig (apportionable) and what the landlord must bear.
Tap the items that appear on your statement.
This calculator gives initial guidance and is not a substitute for legal advice.
How the 12-month deadline works (§ 556 (3) BGB)
The accounting period is usually the calendar year and may cover at most twelve months. After it ends, the landlord has twelve further months to deliver the statement to the tenant. For the 2025 accounting year, the statement must arrive by 31 December 2026 – what counts is receipt by the tenant, not the date it was sent.
Once the deadline passes, a back-payment can no longer be demanded (§ 556 (3) sentence 3 BGB) – unless the landlord is not responsible for the delay, for instance because a utility billed late. A credit in the tenant's favour, however, survives the deadline and must still be paid out.
Only what the BetrKV lists – and the lease agrees – can be passed on
§ 2 BetrKV lists sixteen cost types, from property tax to building cleaning, plus “other operating costs” which must be named explicitly in the lease. Two conditions must both hold: the cost type must appear in the ordinance, and the Mietvertrag must agree the pass-through. Without that agreement, the landlord bears the costs (§ 535 (1) sentence 3 BGB).
Never apportionable: administration, maintenance and repairs, bank fees, reserves, and the costs of vacant units. For the Hausmeister, only the ongoing service can be passed on, not the repair portion. The efficiency principle also applies: the landlord may only pass on costs a prudent owner would incur.
Statement received – the next steps
Check the deadline and formalities first – accounting period, total costs, allocation key, your prepayments – then the individual items. You yourself have twelve months from receipt to object (§ 556 (3) sentence 5 BGB); after that, objections are barred. You are entitled to inspect the original receipts.
Pay a disputed back-payment under reservation (unter Vorbehalt) rather than letting it sit: that keeps you out of default while preserving your right to reclaim if the statement turns out to be wrong.
Frequently asked questions
By when must the Nebenkostenabrechnung reach the tenant?
No later than 12 months after the end of the accounting period (§ 556 (3) BGB). For a calendar year, that is 31 December of the following year.
What happens if the deadline is missed?
After the 12-month deadline the landlord can no longer demand a Nachzahlung (back-payment). A tenant's Guthaben (credit) still stands.
Which costs are not apportionable?
Administration costs, maintenance and repairs, bank/account fees, reserves (Rücklagen), and the repair portion of the Hausmeister are not apportionable.
How long can I object to the statement?
Twelve months from receipt (§ 556 (3) sentence 5 BGB). After that, objections are barred even if the statement contains errors. Object in writing and name the items you dispute.
Must the pass-through be agreed in the lease?
Yes. Without a contractual agreement the landlord bears the operating costs (§ 535 (1) sentence 3 BGB). A reference to § 2 BetrKV, covering all cost types in the ordinance, is the usual form.
What if I move out mid-period?
Costs are split pro rata over time; consumption-based items via an interim meter reading. The 12-month deadline still runs from the end of the accounting period.