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Service costs at SKAR

On this page you will find information about the service costs at SKAR.

Every Thursday* between 10:00 and 12:00 there is a (telephone) consultation hour for tenants with questions about service costs. Call 010 412 78 28 or drop by the SKAR office. It is not necessary to make an appointment.
(*) with the exception of public holidays.

I General questions

What is covered by the service charge?
The principle is that everyone who rents a room must pay service charges in addition to the rent. It makes no difference whether it is a workspace or a storage space. Service costs are, in short, the costs SKAR incurs each year to be able to operate what you rent, varying from gas and electricity to municipal taxes. These costs are passed on to the tenant. This is done via a monthly advance payment, which is settled per year.

Over the years, there have been differences between properties in what is charged, so also what is recharged. In general, the most common service costs are:

  1. The supply, measurement and transport of energy, including solid-state heat and electricity and consumption;
  2. Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water!
  3. Property tax (users' share) and other levies;
  4. Waste disposal;
  5. Administration costs;
  6. Recharging costs from SKAR to the account of the tenant.

Maintenance in the studio, cleaning and internet costs are not covered by SKAR's service costs. It is possible that these costs are passed on through SKAR, but these are agreements per building.

Fixed and variable costs
Part of the service costs depends on how much is consumed, part does not, and is charged anyway. You can therefore speak of variable and fixed costs.
Variable costs are dependent on consumption. These are mainly gas, electricity and water.
Fixed costs are based on the right to use something, for example municipal and regional taxes and levies, but also fixed costs for connecting gas and electricity.

Individual and general costs
In a number of buildings, a distinction is made between individual and general costs. These are the buildings with their own heat meters and intermediate meters for the heat and electricity per studio. The individual costs are charged directly to the tenant; the remaining costs are the general costs. And these are divided among all tenants. The general costs are therefore not the costs for general areas such as the corridor or the toilet.

How high are the service costs at SKAR?
The height of the service costs differs per building: in the one building the heating is higher than in the other, higher taxes are imposed than in the other and so on. In most SKAR buildings the amount depends on the costs charged to everyone and on personal use. For the general part it matters how big your studio and/or other rented space is. On average, in 2022, you can expect an amount of €25 per square metre per year - which, incidentally, depends on price developments over which we have no control.

How they are passed on to tenants varies - this has grown over the years. This makes the calculation of the service costs complicated, especially now that SKAR itself has also grown. From 2022 onwards, the same calculation method will apply to the buildings where tenants have their own meters per studio.
View an example calculation here.

Do I also pay service charges for my storage room?
Yes, service charges are owed for all spaces at SKAR, thus also for the rental of a storage room or shed. It is possible, however, that the advance payment is set at € 0. This does not mean that no costs will be charged in the future.

Is VAT charged on service charges?
Yes, VAT is charged on the service charge. This is regulated by law. This is about the net amount that SKAR must charge on, at a rate of 21%.

Will the service costs go up?
Yes, the costs will rise. In recent years, they have risen three to sometimes four times faster than inflation. And there is no reason to think that this will change. The vast majority of it has to do with the increase in energy costs, especially gas.

At the moment there is a very high gas price, which also affects SKAR. Suppliers have implemented hefty price increases. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, SKAR has increased the advance payments that tenants pay for the service costs in order to avoid very high additional payments in this year's settlement. We will try to be less dependent on this in the future.