Additional costs for the house All additional costs at a glance

If you want to realize your dream of owning your own home, you should invest a lot of time in planning and calculations. In addition to the pure construction costs, there are also costs for planning, construction site, etc. Once your property is ready for habitation, you will have to pay additional housing costs. These should be considered and taken into account during financial planning. This avoids unpleasant surprises later. But what ongoing operating costs do you incur when you build or buy a home? And how can you keep them as low as possible? In this article you will find an overview of all additional costs of the house.

Note: The above information can be used as a guide and checklist. Please note, however, that these are only non-binding guidelines. You can find out the exact costs or taxes from the relevant authorities.

What are the ongoing additional costs for the home?

Current household costs are often also referred to as operating costs. Basically these are all costs that occur regularly – so monthly, quarterly or even annually – regardless of construction or acquisition costs. A distinction is made between public and private additional costs. The former include costs for various services such as street cleaning or waste collection. They are paid to the responsible municipalities. For private additional costs, contracts are concluded with private service providers. This includes, for example, costs for electricity or telecommunications.

The additional costs of the house in summary: here’s what you have to pay

We recommend that you include all additional home costs in your calculation before building the home. This way you will be well prepared later. But what operating costs should you pay attention to? We have put together an overview of the most important additional costs for your home for you.

Property tax

A general distinction is made between three types of property tax:

• Property tax A: concerns buildings and land in the agricultural and forestry sector
• Tax on property B: refers to land and buildings that can be built and developed
• Land tax C: represents an option to tax undeveloped land higher in order to counteract building speculation

Property tax is paid to the municipality once a year. It is usually made up of three factors:

• Unit value: The standard value is determined by the tax office using a standardized procedure. The amount of property tax on a piece of land and property is calculated using it as the tax base.
• Property tax code: Determines what portion of the unit value is considered taxable. It depends on the type of property. The tax base is expressed in thousand and multiplied by the property tax. This translates into your property tax assessment amount.
  
• Lifting rate: The assessment rate is set individually by the respective municipality and determines the tax burden. Depending on the region, it can vary greatly in Germany. The assessment rate is expected to increase significantly in the future, especially in metropolitan areas.

The property tax is then calculated using this formula:

Standard Value x Property Tax Number x Assessment Rate = Annual Property Tax

Currently the additional costs of the house for property tax, depending on the region and place of residence, are between €70 and €800. However, following the 2025 tax reform, homeowners will need to prepare for new tax rates. The tax reform aims first and foremost to distribute the tax burden more equitably. Whether the property tax will increase remains questionable.

Waste taxes

The additional household costs for waste collection are also determined individually by the municipalities and therefore vary from municipality to municipality. The following types of waste affect costs:

• Residual waste container: Residual waste makes up the majority of waste charges. They depend on the size of the containers and the frequency of emptying. An average ton of 120 liters can cost between 150 and 450 euros per year.
• Paper bin: The cost of waste paper bin varies greatly. Some communities provide them for free, others require a fee for pickup. These are relatively small. A 120 liter ton often costs less than 20 euros per year.
• Biological container: There are no fees for organic waste containers anywhere. The respective municipality specifies whether it is mandatory or whether organic waste is disposed of together with residual waste. Organic containers are generally smaller and therefore costs are lower. Homeowners should expect to pay between €60 and €160 per year for a 40-litre bin.
  
• Yellow container/plastic container: There are no costs for emptying the yellow container or for collecting plastic bags. The manufacturers and retailers who put the packaging into circulation are responsible for disposal.
  
• Additional costs, e.g. B. for bulky waste or additional emptying
  

The actual final amount is calculated based on several factors:

• Rates of the respective municipality
• Number of people living in the building
• Dimensions of waste containers
• Emptying frequency (two weeks to 4 times a week)
• Any supplements, e.g. B. for difficult collection routes or special waste

In many cases, it is possible to reduce waste taxes by producing less waste. The residual waste container is particularly important. The smaller the waste here, the greater the cost savings. For waste collection you have to do this approx. €15 per person and per month calculate.

Cleaning streets and sidewalks

Regular street cleaning ensures a cleaner and more beautiful living environment. Private driveways and driveways are the responsibility of the owners or tenants themselves. Public roads and pavements, however, are cleaned by the road service. There is usually a fixed fee per meter of pavement. Depending on where you live, you can expect to pay anywhere from 60 to 100 euros per year. Street cleaning also includes clearing snow and ice in winter, as well as spreading sand or road salt on public routes.

You can find more information about clearing private property in our article “Snow Clearance Requirements for Homeowners.”

Contribution for road construction

Road construction levy is a council tax that is charged for road construction work and road drainage. The amount of the contribution depends on the one hand on the local contribution rules and on the other hand on the location of the respective house. The greater the benefit of the new road to the residents, the greater the contribution for the construction of the road will be. Not in all federal states are residents required to pay for road renovations, etc. Only in March 2022 did the governing coalition of North Rhine-Westphalia decide to abolish the contribution for road construction, placing the Land in the list of states exempt from contributions. This now records:

• Baden-Wurttemberg
• Bayern
• Berlin
• Brandenburg
• Bremen
• Hamburg
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
• North Rhine-Westphalia
• Saxony-Anhalt
• Thuringia

(Stand: September 2023)

Water and sewage supply

When it comes to water, municipalities distinguish between freshwater and wastewater. However, both are usually billed together. Here too there are regional differences, depending on availability, processing and supply costs. Of course, individual water consumption also plays an important role. If you want to save costs, you should try to keep your fresh water consumption as low as possible. There is no general answer to how much water and wastewater cost. You can expect 170 to 300 euros per year per resident.

Heating and maintenance

Heating costs account for a large part of your home’s additional costs. But this is precisely where the greatest savings potential lies. On the one hand, you can decide for yourself which type of heating to choose. But construction and insulation also play an important role. Bricks, for example, are known for their good thermal insulation properties, which can have a positive effect on heating costs. Basically you can expect 11 to 14 euros per square meter per year. In addition, some types of heating are equipped with Maintenance costs, which usually range between 350 and 500 euros.

Electricity costs

The amount of electricity costs is basically up to you. The decisive factors are the choice of electricity supplier and individual consumption. We advise you to compare carefully and avoid energy consumption such as old appliances or instantaneous water heaters. As a guideline for additional living costs, you should expect 100 to 150 euros per month.

You can find tips on how to effectively reduce electricity consumption in our blog post “Saving electricity at home: how to reduce electricity costs”. Please feel free to read it.

Insurance

Insurance is not mandatory for your new home in Germany, but it is highly recommended. Liability, fire or construction insurance is particularly suitable here. If you also live in a risk area, it is advisable to insure yourself against further natural damage. Especially if you live in a flood zone, for example. Even when it comes to insurance, it is not possible to set a flat rate for the additional costs of the house. They vary depending on the provider and the scope of the services selected, but vary between 150 and 800 euros per year.

telecommunications

If you wish to conclude contracts for landline telephone and Internet, you must also include the associated costs in the additional housing costs. While these costs will likely be incurred prior to your move, they are listed here for completeness. These services are usually offered at a flat rate. It crashes here too The amount of costs depends very much on the respective provider, but is between €25 and €40.

Schornsteinfeger

The costs for chimney sweeping are set out in the Sweeping and Inspection Regulation (KÜO) and may vary slightly depending on the federal state. In addition to sweeping the chimney, the main task of the chimney sweep is to measure the exhaust gas values ​​of the heating system. For this reason it is necessary to calculate from 40 to 100 euros per year as additional costs for the house.

Note: The law requires that regular cleaning and inspection of the chimney by the chimney sweep is mandatory by law. It also contributes to the longer and problem-free operation of your heating system and therefore to living comfort.

Reserves for maintenance and modernization

Additional housing costs also include financial reserves. Homeowners need to remember that maintaining their property costs money – and a lot of it. The first signs of wear can appear as early as 15 years and individual components must be replaced. Other items will last longer but should also be replaced at some point to maintain the overall condition and resale value of the home. These include, for example:

• External and internal painting
• Coverings on flat roofs
• The wallpaper
• downpipes
• gutters
• Heizkessel
• External plastering
• Hydraulic lines