Heating and Service Charges: What Tenants Should Check Before Winter

Winter reveals the true cost of a home

An attractive rent can hide high heating bills. October is the right time to take stock, whether you are already a tenant or in the middle of a search.

Service charges: monthly payments and annual adjustment

In an unfurnished rental, you pay a monthly advance on service charges, adjusted at least once a year. The landlord must send you a statement and keep the supporting documents available to you for six months. The period to claim back an overpayment (or, for the landlord, an underpayment) is three years. If the adjustment arrives after the end of the following year, you can ask to spread it over twelve months. In a furnished rental, charges can be a flat rate.

Shared or individual heating

With shared heating, the cost is included in the building charges passed on to you: ask for the latest annual adjustment before signing. With individual heating, ask for an estimate of the bills. As for temperature, the Energy Code sets maximums (19°C on average in an occupied home), not a guaranteed minimum. If the home is poorly heated, inform the landlord, then send a formal notice by registered letter.

The energy rating matters

Since 1 January 2025, a G-rated home can no longer be let under a new lease; F-rated homes will follow in 2028. Since 1 January 2026, the energy performance certificate (DPE) calculation has been revised for electrically heated homes, and hundreds of thousands of them are no longer classed as energy sieves. A bill currently before Parliament would relax these rules, but until it is adopted, they apply. We covered this in the 2026 DPE reform.

If your home does not meet the decency standards, report it by registered letter. After two months without a response, a judge can order works or reduce the rent. Never stop paying rent on your own initiative.

Before signing a new lease

• Ask for the DPE and the actual charges for the past year.
• Look at the windows, insulation, orientation and type of heating.
• Ask the right questions during the viewing: our list of 8 questions to ask at a viewing will help.
• Be thorough with the check-in inventory, especially the radiators: our guide.

Conclusion

The right home is also one whose true monthly cost you know. Want us to analyse the charges and DPE of the homes you view? Book an appointment with APPARTE.

This article provides general information that is up to date at the time of publication. For your specific situation, have your rights checked by a professional (ADIL, lawyer or notary).