August 16, 2023, 12:54 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
If tenants want to reduce their utility costs, it’s helpful for them to first be aware of their consumption. However, many landlords do not fulfill this obligation to provide information, as a recent survey shows.
Since the start of the energy crisis, many tenants have been saving at home wherever they can. After all, monthly consumption directly affects utility costs. Therefore, it’s sensible to know the current consumption. According to a survey by the energy service provider Ista, conducted by the market research institute YouGov in July 2023, only 40 percent of tenants know their consumption data for heating and hot water. And this is despite the fact that the obligation to provide information about consumption lies with the landlords.
Many Tenants Are Unaware of Their Consumption
This rate decreases even further among population groups with lower incomes. Only about one-third of all participants with a monthly household net income of less than 1,500 euros are familiar with their own consumption. However, the revised Heating Costs Ordinance (HKVO) has stipulated since 2022 that tenants should receive a so-called interim consumption information monthly. For this, remotely readable measuring technology is initially necessary. At least 70 percent of landlords are now aware of this obligation.
Only about 25 percent of the surveyed tenants reported receiving such a monthly heating update. For the future, 62 percent of tenants in Germany wish that landlords would fulfill their monthly obligation to provide information on utility costs.
“Consumption transparency is a necessary condition for energy-saving efforts. Only those who know their current consumption can adjust it immediately. Digital solutions are ideal for this, but they are still too rarely used,” says Hagen Lessing, CEO at Ista, in the press release. A total of 2,083 people aged 18 and over participated in the survey.
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Digital Information Preferred
About 50 percent of all respondents prefer the digital form. Among tenants who already receive information about their consumption, this type is the most popular (38 percent). Interestingly, the older the respondents, the more satisfied they are with digital information. Among tenants over 55 years old, more than half consider it helpful. Thirty-four percent believe that landlords should fulfill their obligation to provide information about monthly consumption by mail.
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Is a Rent Reduction Possible?
“The tenant can demand the information from the landlord; they have a right to it,” explains Anja Franz from the Munich Tenants’ Association upon myHOMEBOOK’s request. If the landlord does not fulfill their obligation, tenants do not immediately have the right to reduce the rent. However, they can “reduce their share of the heating costs by 3 percent,” informs the tenancy law expert.