the screenshots pretty much tell the whole story. i'm at a loss for what to do right now because i obviously have nowhere to charge my phone, i can only come down to the lobby of the Haus and charge it here. this is causing me to miss class two days in a row because my phone keeps dying and again i just have no idea what to do in this situation. i also literally just went shopping for a ton of groceries yesterday the morning this happened and now they're just sitting spoiling in my fridge because i thought this issue would be resolved by now..

by SaleGroundbreaking48

7 comments

  1. Hello, I’m sorry that this happened to you. Normally, in Germany, tenants are responsible for arranging their own electricity supply and signing a contract with an energy provider. If they don’t do this, they are placed on the basic supply plan (Grundversorgung), which is usually the most expensive option.

    If that isn’t paid, the electricity can eventually be cut off. It’s best to call the basic provider TWL and try to sort things out with them.

  2. I feel like a bit of information got lost in translation between you and your landlord. 

    In Germany it’s common for the tenant to have to deal with electricity. It’s not typically included in Nebenkosten. That means reaching out to an electricity company of your choice and signing a contract. 

    You should take matters in your own hands and call your local provider (TWL?) and sort it out with them.

    Do not rely on your landlord for this. 

    EDIT: oh and also Hausmeister means Janitor, not landlord. 

  3. Okay. Quick questions here before we can assess the situation:

    What does your contract say about “Stromkosten”? Is it stated there that electricity is included in the Nebenkosten?
    It depends on the contract, but usually the tenant concludes an own contract with one of the many “Stromanbieter” (Provider of electricity)….?!

    And a thought: use Public library to charge your Phone and to attend classes! (I know it sucks, but….it is a viable solution at least)

  4. If the electricity is included in your rental agreement and your landlord forgot to make payments you’re 100% entitled to lower the rent next month (Mietminderung). you should speak to a lawyer about what amount would be reasonable. If electricity isn’t covered in your rental agreement (which would be the norm in germany) than you messed up because when you rent a flat in germany the first thing you usualy do is to register the number written on the electricity meter (Zählernummer) of your flat with a electricity provider.

  5. Sorry, but if you didn’t pay for 1 month nobody will cut your electricity. You also need to owe more than 100 euros before the supplier can cut power.

    The first thing that happens is that you get a reminder that there are outstanding invoices. Then there will be additional reminders. After quite some time you will get a last reminder and you are told that the supplier will cut off the power. Usually this takes quite some time of several months. If you check your fuse panel and electricity meter there should be now a seal on the main fuses. If not and the fuses are off just switch them back on. But careful, if they are sealed, do not touch them. Breaking the seal is a criminal offense (Siegelbruch).

    I dunno if you misunderstood your landlord but if the owner of the electricity network cuts your power there will be a fine and reconnecting the supply will also cost additional money. The network owner will also only reconnect the supply if all outstanding monies are paid.

    Somehow I smell some major BS in this story.

  6. fyi – if they cut off your electricity and put a seal on it – they’re just removing that seal to „reactivate“ you. You need to push the buttons to reactivate it yourself. It’s entirely possible that you have electricity again. You just need to turn it on in the box. I had that spiel because of a mix up just last week. And waited for my power to come back (which would never happen if I didn’t switch the the switches myself …)

  7. UPDATE: my landlord finally responded with a voice message saying something about a misunderstanding between him and the electric company and he wasn’t aware that he had to submit his contract from when he bought the apartment and that he was told when contacted them when i messaged him today. he said submitted it and it was approved and that the lady on the phone ‘promised’ that the electrician would come and switch it back on tomorrow.. another thing i forgot to mention, when i checked my mailbox yesterday i did see that i had a single letter from TWL, however i did not open it as it was not addressed to my name and in fact wasn’t even addressed to my address, but someplace not even near my city. so i’m really not sure what that was about, maybe debts addressed to the previous owner like my landlord mentioned? some have pointed out this whole thing sounds fishy (and that it’s unusual that my electricity is included in my rental contract, but i promise it definitely is and my landlord has confirmed this to me multiple times and i had my meters read when i moved in etc.), and while i do somewhat agree i have a lot of reason to believe this is my landlord’s first rental apartment and so he’s inexperienced. i’m a very patient person and i’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt especially because the only real financial inconvenience to me here was that i had some food spoil, which he offered to pay for. i also don’t want to cause a problem and damage my rapport with my landlord for Mietminderung like someone mentioned unless it’s necessary. that being said, i don’t want to be naïve or give off the impression that it’s easy to get things past me, so if anyone has different advice or recommendations for me, i’m happy to hear them out. (by the way i really appreciate everyone’s responses and input, it’s been a great help for my sanity lol)

Comments are closed.