At the end of the year, it’s time for billing at TFU—specifically, for utility usage. Here, we answer the most important questions: What is billed, when, and how? When is payment due? How do flat rates work? Are there refunds?
When is the bill issued, and when is payment due?
A utility bill must be prepared annually if a lump-sum payment is not possible. The utility bill must be received by the tenant by the end of the 12th month following the end of the billing period. In our case, this means by December 31, 2012, although this year we sent out the statements in November so that we could finish them in time for Christmas. Please pay by the due date indicated on the statement. In some years, the statement is not finalized until the very last minute—in that case, the payment due date will be in the new year.
If you have any difficulty meeting the payment deadline, please be sure to contact us in a timely manner—that is, before the due date. We have always been able to find mutually agreeable solutions in the past.
How is billing handled?
For our office space, there is a flat-rate service charge that we commit to for one year in advance. This works to your advantage, as it means there are no surprises. If we find that the actual usage exceeds the estimated amount, we can only adjust the rate for the following year.
When it comes to lab space, usage varies so much among the different companies that it would be unfair to set a flat rate. In this case, we bill each company separately.
What is billed?
All costs incurred for the property are totaled and prorated. Depending on the type, this is calculated either on a per-person or per-unit-of-consumption basis, or based on square meters or cubic meters. For the sake of simplicity and fairness, TFU calculates based on square meters. This is also the basis on which we calculate the flat rates.
On the one hand, there are the “heating” operating costs, which are incurred for heating and hot water production. Specifically, these are usually the costs for the heating gas and district heating consumed.
On the other hand, there are the general or “cold” service charges. These consist of: property tax, lighting, cold water, sewage, building property and liability insurance, personnel costs (caretaker, outdoor facilities and garden maintenance, building cleaning), garbage collection, street cleaning, maintenance costs (e.g., elevator, fire alarm, air conditioning, and ventilation systems), on-call service and fault reporting lines, and electricity.
If a space is leased for only part of the year, the tenant will also receive a statement no earlier than the 12th month following the end of the billing period. To calculate this, the leased area is divided by the number of months in the year and multiplied by the number of months leased.
Is there a refund even with flat-rate fees?
This actually happens—for example, with the current billing statements! Although we set flat rates, heat consumption must be reported separately. If it’s lower than estimated, you’ll receive a credit. This is our way of rewarding energy-conscious behavior.
