Around this time of year, many tenants in Germany receive their Nebenkostenabrechnung — the annual reconciliation of heating, water and building costs against what you paid in monthly advances. It can end in a refund or a demand for hundreds of euros, so it is worth reading properly rather than filing away.
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The deadline that protects you
Your landlord has 12 months after the end of the billing period to send the statement. A statement for the 2025 calendar year must therefore reach you by 31 December 2026. If it arrives late, the landlord generally loses the right to demand a back-payment (a Nachzahlung) — though you would still receive any refund owed to you.
Four things to check
First, the distribution key (Verteilerschlüssel): are costs split by floor area, by person, or by consumption, and does it match your contract? Second, the meter readings for heating and water against your own. Third, that only allowable cost types appear — administration, repairs and maintenance are not billable to you. Fourth, your advance payments are added up correctly before the balance is struck.
If something looks wrong
You have the right to inspect the underlying invoices and meter data in person — ask in writing. You generally have 12 months from receiving the statement to raise a formal objection. If a big Nachzahlung does not add up, pay under reservation (unter Vorbehalt) while you dispute it, so you are not in arrears but keep your claim alive. A tenants' association (Mieterverein) can check the statement for a small membership fee.
Zahid Hossain
German Diary — Study, Work and Live in Germany