Rental charges: who pays what?
The relationship between tenant and landlord is generally subject to a good understanding of the rights and obligations of each. As a tenant, you will be more concerned about your accommodation if you know what your contribution is and what are the rental charges that you must pay to the trustee! This article explains all the rules in force regarding the distribution of charges during a rental.
What are the main rules in force around rental charges?
In a real estate rental, a division of the expenses of co-ownership is carried out between owner and tenant, and that according to their nature. Although this attribution is never simple, case law has defined three categories of charges that can be charged to tenants. Here they are :
1) Expenditure related to all services related to the use of housing and the building, eg security costs or electricity costs for the use of a space of the condominium (the lobby light ... );
2) Expenditures related to minor repairs to common areas, such as cleaning the entrance to a building or maintenance of green spaces;
3) Expenditures related to rental taxes, for example the tax on garbage disposal.
From this list, an owner can therefore define the part of the recoverable charges on the tenant. He can also inform him as soon as he enters the premises of their amount of the previous year. Thus, the lessee has all the financial data relating to the occupation of housing! This figure will be taken monthly at the same time as the rent, in what is known as the provision on charges. Then, the owner manages all the relations with the property manager and can proceed, if necessary, to the regularization of the rental charges.
Keep in mind that an owner will not be able to re-charge the maintenance of the structure of a building , such as the renovation of a roof for example, and parts on which a tenant will have no impact.
What is the process of regularization of rental charges?
As the amount of the monthly provision on rental expenses is calculated in relation to the previous year, it is therefore possible that the latter increase or decrease. As a tenant, you can be asked by your landlord for a regularization of expenses, usually at the end of the year. This adjustment corresponds to the difference between the annual rental charges calculated at the end of the year by the co-ownership trustee and all the provisions on expenses paid by the tenant throughout the year. The owner who has received the statement of annual charges from the condominium will take care to ask the tenant the payment of the balance (or reimbursement if the charges are lower than the provisions collected).
As a tenant, it is important to realize that the amount of expenses paid each month may not be enough to meet all of your obligations! When paying rental charges, you are entitled to ask for proof from your landlord. You will be able to see where they come from and dispute any abuse on the part of your landlord, for example a chargeback charges that should normally be paid by the latter (facades remodeling, roof change ...)
Rental charges are therefore expected in your budget! We advise you to take the time to study their nature and amount. You will be able to check that the total obtained does not overly encroach on your housing budget. In the same way, comparing the charges over several years, will also allow you to evaluate future accruals ...