meterhuur

Meterhuur is a Dutch term for a charge that a landlord may levy to cover the use and maintenance of meters that measure the consumption of utilities in a rental property. The charge can apply to electricity meters, gas meters, water meters, or other metering devices. It is intended to cover costs related to installing, maintaining, reading, replacing, and sometimes calibrating the meters, as well as the administrative effort involved in meter-based billing.

Meterhuur is typically presented either as a separate line item in the servicekosten (service charges) or as a component of the monthly rent. It is distinct from the actual consumption costs, which are billed according to meter readings. In practice, tenants may see two related bills: one for the measured consumption and one for the meterhuur.

Legislation and practice vary by country and jurisdiction. In the Netherlands, meterhuur and other servicekosten are described in rental contracts and are subject to housing law. Tenants should ensure that meterhuur is transparently itemized, justified by actual costs, and not used to inflate charges. If there are questions or disputes about meterhuur amounts, tenants can seek clarification from the landlord or appeal to the Huurcommissie (rental committee) for assessment.

Meterhuur is commonly used in multi-tenant buildings with individual meters, but arrangements should be clear to both sides to avoid disputes. Related topics include servicekosten, huurprijs, and metercontract.