- What are maintenance fees (also known as koinohrista/kinohrista)?
Maintenance fees are the costs associated with the maintenance and operation of the shared areas of an apartment building.
- What expenses are included in maintenance fees?
According to government regulations, the main common costs are the following:
- Home heating oil (HHO)/ natural gas
- Building cleaning
- Elevator maintenance
- Electricity for common areas
- Water supply (EYDAP)
It is should be stressed that monthly maintenance fees may include occasional upkeep costs, such as painting the building façade or terrace insulation, contributions to a reserve fund for future unforeseen expenses, also known as apothematiko, or insurance for shared areas. In such cases, the maintenance fees will be higher than normal.
- Who is liable for the payment of maintenance fees?
Typically, the tenant of the apartment is responsible for coverage of fixed expenses, such as electricity bills and cleaning services, while the landlord is liable for payment of extraordinary expenses, such as building repairs.
Deciding who is liable for the corresponding maintenance fees may also be privately agreed upon between the tenant and the landlord, and relevant parameters should be disclosed in their contract. In case of the tenant covering an expense normally pertaining to the owner, the amount paid is deducted from the next rent payment.
If a tenant is to leave the apartment, it is up to them to fulfill their outstanding maintenance fees obligations. However, if the tenant vacates without paying, the landlord is solely responsible for reimbursement.
- How are maintenance fees calculated and divided across the apartments?
The allocation of maintenance fees per apartment is derived from the condominium regulations (also known as horizontal property), a set of bylaws created post-building construction and signed by all owners upon purchase of the units.
It is standard for all condominium regulations to include three main expenses categories:
- Common costs pertaining to the cleaning of the building
- Elevator maintenance and repair costs
- Heating expenses and furnace maintenance
As such, maintenance fees are distributed per apartment based on the following apartment attributes:
- square footage/apartment area
- apartment volume
- percentage of the plot
- proportion of shared areas
It is important to note that when it comes to facilities that are not accessible to all tenants, such as a garage, pool or storage space, the associated costs will be charged to the owners of the apartments that use them. Likewise, common expenses for elevator usage are proportionately higher for apartments on upper floors compared to those on the ground floor.
Who is responsible for issuing the maintenance fees?
The current building manager is responsible for issuing monthly maintenance fees. This involves expense and legal receipts collection, cost calculation, correct allocation according to the building’s regulations, and distribution to tenants and owners.
Alternatively, maintenance fees management can also be handled by companies specializing in maintenance fees services by essentially taking on the role of building manager, overseeing the budget and reserve fund and resolving disputes.
