Kempten Regional Court, 16 November 2016, 53 S 740/16
A look at the calculation alone is not enough if an operating cost statement is to be reviewed. Only the conclusiveness of the statement itself and the admissibility of the recognition of certain costs can be clarified. However, if you want to know whether the costs were actually incurred in the stated amount, you have to look at the billing documents.
However, inspecting the receipts on which the statement of operating costs is based also has another purpose. It can be important as an obligation of the tenant for behaviour in a later lawsuit. Pursuant to Section 138 (4) ZPO, disputing the cost estimate is only to be observed if the tenant has previously inspected the calculation documents. If the tenant's dispute is not to be regarded as legally irrelevant, the tenant must make use of this opportunity to inspect the documents.
For example, without prior inspection of the documents, the assertion that certain operating costs are also attributable to the business premises is not sufficiently substantiated. It is still disputed whether tenants are also entitled to receive copies of the receipts instead of the original receipts from the landlord.
Facts: Dispute over back payment and inspection of receipts
The plaintiff, the landlord of a flat, demanded an additional payment from the defendant, her tenant, based on a statement of operating costs. After the defendant received the statement, he demanded to see the documents on which this statement was based. However, the plaintiff refused to provide the tenant with the original documents for inspection, as the landlady's place of residence was too far away from the rented property. As an alternative, she offered to send copies of the original receipts. The defendant rejected this offer and refused to make the additional payment due to the lack of original receipts.
Judgement of the Kempten Regional Court: Tenant's right to inspect original receipts
The Regional Court of Kempten ruled that the tenant generally has the right to inspect the original documents in accordance with Section 259 BGB. This decision corresponds to the established case law of the court and the prevailing opinion. The defendant as tenant was therefore entitled to demand to see the original documents. This also applies if there is a great distance between the landlord's registered office and the rented property. The tenant is not obliged to be satisfied with copies of the receipts.
Tenant's right of retention in the event of refusal to inspect receipts
The court found that in such a case, the tenant can assert a right of retention against the additional payment as long as the landlord does not offer him the opportunity to properly review the operating cost statement. A right of retention exists in particular if the inspection of receipts is not made possible in the required manner. The defendant could therefore refuse to make the additional payment as long as the original receipts were not made available for inspection.
Consequences of refusing to inspect documents and exercise rights
The Regional Court of Kempten further stated that the plaintiff's demand for payment is to be regarded as an unauthorised exercise of rights if the inspection of receipts is refused. The usual "step-by-step judgement" according to § 274 BGB does not apply in such a case. The due date of the landlord's claim for subsequent payment was therefore denied. By refusing to inspect the receipts, the landlord breached its secondary contractual obligation. However, the tenant would have been obliged to make the additional payment if the documents had been inspected properly.
Source: Kempten District Court
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