An increasing number of tenants are fighting the size of the service costs they have to pay on top of their rent, according to the rent tribunal’s annual report.

In total, more than 3,800 cases were started last year, and that is a rise of 60% on 2022, the Huurcommissie said on Wednesday.

When it comes to verdicts, tenants win in 90% of cases involving a commercial landlord and 58% of those in which a housing corporation has been taken to the tribunal. On average, service charges are cut by €660 a year following the intervention of the Huurcommissie.

Landlords are allowed to charge service costs for cleaning, electricity in the communal areas, water, garden maintenance and concierge services and are supposed to send tenants a statement detailing the fee by July 1.

They are not allowed to make a profit on service costs but tenants can end up with a supplementary fee if their landlord has not charged enough.

The calculations are complex for small private landlords but some “commercial landlords are going as far as they can to increase their income via the service costs,” tribunal chairman Jurriën Deckers said in an interview in the annual report.

This is particularly a problem in larger complexes with added services such as fitness centres and fast internet. These cannot be included in the service charge and should be paid for separately.

Last December, a rent tribunal ruling meant hundreds of people who live or lived in Change= apartment complexes in Amsterdam could get over €1,400 each refunded by their landlord in unlawful service costs.

Housing minister Hugo de Jonge is currently working on updating the service charge regulations to give greater clarity to tenants.