Condominium fees

Condominium fees / Hausgeld

February 09, 2023

If you own an apartment, you will be required to pay condominium fees. This is similar to the service charge bill for tenants. They are used for the management, care and maintenance of the common property. The resulting costs and burdens are to be borne by the condominium owners in accordance with § 16 (2) WEG. However, this does not create an obligation to pay. Such an obligation only arises by resolution of the condominium owners pursuant to § 28 (1) sentence 1 WEG. For this purpose, the property management company must calculate the approximate costs annually in a business plan. Payment is made monthly in advance to the condominium owners' association. At the end of the year, a statement of account is drawn up in accordance with Section 28(2) WEG, which shows whether repayments or additional payments are due.

The amount of the common charges is made up of various cost items. Costs that can be passed on to the tenant include operating costs, heating and electricity costs for common areas such as stairwells, caretaker costs and building insurance. Administrative costs and the maintenance reserve are not apportionable.

Housing allowance should not be confused with housing benefit, which is a subsidy towards the cost of rent under the Housing Allowance Act.