No operating-cost line gets cut as often as the caretaker – because his task mix combines recoverable and non-recoverable work inseparably unless you separate it.
"[Operating costs include] the costs of the caretaker: remuneration, social contributions and all benefits granted for the work, insofar as it does not concern maintenance, repair, renewal, decorative repairs or property administration."
— § 2 no. 14 BetrKV (translated)
Recoverable vs. not
- Yes: inspection rounds, cleaning, winter service, garden care, meter reading, small function checks.
- No: repairs (even minor ones!), administrative tasks (move-out inspections, key handling for re-letting), standby for repair work.
The required deduction
Where the caretaker contract mixes duties, courts demand a concrete, traceable deduction – unsupported lump estimates by the landlord fail. What works: a task catalogue in the contract with time shares; then the split holds. With no breakdown at all, courts will cut the position to zero if need be.
Avoid double billing
If you bill a caretaker and separate garden or cleaning lines, make sure the same service doesn't appear twice – every tenant advice centre's favourite find. Receipts and the task catalogue belong in the property's digital record.