Service charge statement (vyúčtování služeb)

What the statement compares

Services should be itemised so that the costs, the way they were allocated and the advances credited can all be checked. A single lump sum is not enough. Nor should you count payments that were due but never reached your account.

An example to illustrate: The tenant actually paid 36,000 Kč in advances for services, and the costs attributable to the flat come to 32,400 Kč. That leaves an overpayment of 3,600 Kč. If the tenant failed to send one advance of 3,000 Kč, only the 33,000 Kč received is credited and the overpayment drops to 600 Kč. The missing advance cannot also be counted as paid.

When the statement must arrive

For a January–December billing period, the deadline falls on 30 April of the following year. For any other period, it runs from the period’s actual end. You don’t get a fresh four-month deadline just because the SVJ documents have only just arrived. Settle the overpayment or underpayment within the agreed period, and no later than four months after the statement is delivered. Services Act (zákon o službách), § 7.

When the figures don’t add up

Within 30 days of delivery, the tenant may request in writing that the costs and other supporting documents be provided. The provider then has 30 days to comply. Objections must be raised within 30 days of delivery of the statement, or of receipt of the requested documents, and are dealt with within a further 30 days. § 8 of the Act.

Errors in the statement do not postpone the due date of an overpayment. With an underpayment, not every minor slip matters — what counts is whether the error affected the calculated amount. Dispute specific items, and don’t leave your checks until the day payment is due.