Service charge settlement

A service charge settlement is the annual reconciliation in which a landlord or property manager settles actually incurred service costs against the advance payments tenants made throughout the year. It covers items such as cleaning, garden maintenance, energy for common areas, window cleaning, and minor upkeep. Dutch legislation imposes strict requirements on specification, substantiation, and deadlines; errors trigger correction obligations and reputational risk. Common error sources include incorrect allocation keys, duplicate supplier invoices, and indexation mistakes in the underlying contracts. Line-level checks against those contracts prevent structural deviations. See also: Solution — Invoice control.