> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.immodio.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.immodio.app/en/anleitung/mietverhaltnisse/mietverhaltnis-anlegen/betriebskosten/betriebskosten-und-heizkosten-wg-vermietung.md).

# Operating and heating costs for shared apartment rentals

This page provides specific guidance on agreeing operating costs in a shared apartment rental agreement.

### The particular issue

When letting individual **rooms in a house share**, the question arises of how the operating costs are billed correctly. In a house share several tenants share an apartment with communal rooms and connections, which means that consumption-based costs such as **heating, water or electricity** in particular cannot be clearly attributed to an individual room. Recording consumption individually would be technically disproportionate and **scarcely feasible** in practice.

### Advance payments for operating costs in a shared apartment letting

With this option the tenant pays a monthly **advance payment** towards the operating and heating costs.\
**Settlement takes place once a year at unit level**, that is, jointly for the entire house share, in accordance with the Operating Costs Ordinance (BetrKV) and the Heating Costs Ordinance (HeizkostenV).

The total amount attributable to the apartment is then distributed among the tenants within the house share.\
The Immodio rental agreement lets you choose between:

* **allocation per head** (all tenants pay the same share), or
* **allocation by living space** (the share of the room in relation to the total area of all rooms in the house share).

You can find further general information on advance payments for operating costs [here](/en/anleitung/mietverhaltnisse/mietverhaltnis-anlegen/betriebskosten/vorauszahlung-der-betriebskosten.md).

### Flat-rate operating costs in a shared apartment letting <a href="#pauschale-betriebskosten-bei-der-wg-vermietung" id="pauschale-betriebskosten-bei-der-wg-vermietung"></a>

With this option you agree a **flat rate** that already includes all operating, heating and hot water costs. There is **no separate annual statement**; the flat rate covers all ongoing operating costs in full (including electricity and an internet connection if selected). Unlike the standard rental agreement, the heating costs are also intended to be covered by a flat rate here, in order to make letting rooms in a house share simpler. **The permissibility of such an arrangement has not, however, been conclusively settled**.

<details>

<summary>Legal assessment of flat-rate billing of heating costs</summary>

Under the Heating Costs Ordinance (HeizKV), heating and hot water costs generally have to be billed **according to consumption** (Section 6 (1)). In certain cases, however, the law allows exceptions:

* Under **Section 11 (1) no. 2 HeizKV**, consumption-based billing does not apply to *student halls of residence and comparable parts of buildings* where consumption-based billing is **not reasonable** because of shared use or frequent changes of tenant.

Individually let **rooms in a house share** could therefore be regarded as equivalent because of the high turnover, since here too several people jointly use rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom and consumption cannot be clearly attributed.

{% hint style="danger" %}
There is as yet no ruling from the highest court specifically on applying Section 11 (1) no. 2 HeizkostenV to rooms in a house share.
{% endhint %}

</details>

You can find further general information on the flat rate for operating costs [here](/en/anleitung/mietverhaltnisse/mietverhaltnis-anlegen/betriebskosten/pauschale-betriebskosten.md).