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Property Management

Professional management made easy

Property management covers the work that follows the lease: settling service charges and heating costs, putting new legal duties into practice and planning for costs that never show up in a statement. The articles explain new legislation and show where money gets lost in day-to-day management. The deadlines behind it are mostly set by § 556 BGB, the Operating Costs Ordinance (BetrKV) and the Heating Costs Ordinance (HeizkostenV).

Updated: 10/27/2026 · By the CIRO editorial team

3 articles in this section

Day-to-day management

Practical tips for managing your apartments, from tenant changeovers to utility billing.

Which deadlines apply to statements and management?

The dates and ratios that a service charge statement, a heating cost statement and an owners' meeting have to meet.

Contents

Deadlines and ratios at a glance

A service charge statement rarely fails on the arithmetic. It fails on the deadline and the form. If it arrives too late, you lose the back payment. If the tenant asks to inspect the receipts, you have to let them, and they can still raise objections up to 12 months after receiving the statement. The table lists the values you need to meet, from the statement to the invitation to the owners' meeting.

TaskDeadline or ratioProvision
Deliver the service charge statementno later than 12 months after the end of the billing period, otherwise no back payment unless the delay was not your fault§ 556 (3) BGB
Tenant's objectionsup to 12 months after receiving the statement§ 556 (3) BGB
Recoverable costsonly the items agreed in the lease from the catalogue of 17 numbered items§ 2 BetrKV
Heating costs by consumption50 % to 70 % by metered consumption, the rest by floor area or enclosed volume§ 7 HeizkostenV
Statement without meteringthe tenant may cut their share by 15 %§ 12 HeizkostenV
CO2 costs of heatingsplit between landlord and tenant by a tiered model: the higher the building's CO2 emissions, the larger your shareCO2KostAufG
Calling an owners' meetingat least 3 weeks in advance in text form§ 24 (4) WEG
Investing the depositseparately from your own assets with a bank, at the usual interest rate for savings with three months' notice, unless you agree on another form of investment§ 551 (3) BGB

What needs doing when tenants change?

Meter readings on the handover day are what count. They belong in the handover report, together with the condition of the rooms and the number of keys. You split the year's service charges between the old and new tenant by time, and heating costs by an interim reading (§ 9b HeizkostenV). If an interim reading is not possible, you split heating costs by degree days. Settle the deposit once it is clear whether any claims remain open; you may hold back a reasonable part for an expected back payment from the service charge statement.

Which costs never appear in a statement?

Management costs, maintenance and repairs, bank charges and the cost of vacancy cannot be passed on, because you pay the service charges of an empty flat yourself. In a condominium there is also the monthly HOA fee (Hausgeld), of which you only pass on the recoverable part to the tenant; contributions to the maintenance reserve stay with you. If you leave these items out, you overestimate the yield, and on top come opportunity costs: the return your equity could earn elsewhere.

Calculators, checklists and terms on this topic

All calculators and checklists are free and work without an account. Check a deadline or an amount before you write to your tenant.

Calculators

  • Statement deadline: When the utility bill statement must reach the tenant and how long they can object.
  • Allocation key: Allocate operating costs by living space, units, occupants, consumption or co-ownership shares.
  • Heating cost split: Split heating costs by consumption and living space, as the Heating Costs Ordinance requires.
  • CO₂ cost split: Which share of CO₂ costs you carry as a landlord under the tier model.
  • Costs on tenant change: Split costs to the day between the old and the new tenant.
  • Owners' association deadlines: Notice period for meetings of the owners' association (HOA) and the deadline to challenge resolutions.

Checklists

  • Service charge statement: Receipts, allocation, heating and CO₂ costs and the statement deadline.
  • Change of tenant: From notice to move-in, with end of tenancy under § 573c BGB and all deadlines.
  • Flat handover: Prepare move-in or move-out: inspection, meters, keys and deadlines afterwards.
  • Landlord duties: Smoke alarms, legionella, winter service, insurance: what is due regularly.

Glossary

  • Operating costs (Betriebskosten): Operating costs are a building's running costs that you may pass on to tenants under the BetrKV, provided the lease says so.
  • Heating costs (Heizkosten): Splitting heating costs in Germany: 50 to 70% by consumption, a worked example, tenant deductions, remote reading by end of 2026 and the CO2 cost split.
  • HOA fee (Hausgeld): The HOA fee (Hausgeld) in Germany: what it covers, how much you can pass on to tenants, which split applies and why the reserve isn't deductible yet.
  • Maintenance reserve fund (Instandhaltungsrücklage): The condominium maintenance reserve: who owns it, typical amounts, what buyers should check and when landlords can deduct the contributions for tax.
  • Owners' association (WEG): The WEG is the legal entity formed by all owners in a condominium building. How it decides, what the manager may do and what landlords can pass on.
  • Co-ownership share (Miteigentumsanteil): The co-ownership share (MEA) in a German condominium: where it's set, how it drives your costs, why it rarely decides votes and what it means for tenants.