From July 1st, cable television will no longer be included in the list of additional costs! The previous practice of landlords adding cable fees to the rent will no longer apply. From July 1st, tenants will have to pay for it themselves if they want to continue watching television in their rented apartment.
Many landlords and property managers are therefore cancelling their collective contracts with the cable companies because they can no longer pass the costs on to the rent. And in the worst case scenario, the screen will even remain black during the European Football Championship. According to the European Championship schedule, the round of 16 will take place exactly then, really bad timing!
Tenants now have three options:
- First, get yourself a connection.
- Secondly, to convince the landlord to enter into a new supply agreement – here the provider remains, but the contract carousel turns directly to the tenant.
- Thirdly, look for alternative reception options – whether streaming services, satellite dishes or perhaps the classic good old antenna television.
If you do nothing, you risk sitting in front of a black screen for the next few months.
Who is affected now – and who is not?
In principle, only tenants whose landlords or property managers have signed a collective contract are affected. But how do households find out whether they are watching television via such a contract?
The last utility bill that you received from the owner can help. If it contains costs such as “collective TV contract”, “cable TV”, “TV connection” or a similar formulation, you are affected. If the item is not in the utility bill, then you may have an individual contract. In this case, you can sit back and relax.
However, many providers are already offering discounts and cheap rates. It may be worth looking for an alternative or a cheaper offer. Depending on the method of reception, a new contract can be concluded quickly.
If you can receive public and private television channels and cannot find a corresponding item in your utility bill, you may be the recipient of a central satellite connection that allows you to watch public and private television channels free of charge. In this case, you can continue watching as normal from July 1st.
If nothing about this is mentioned in the rental agreement, but only an antenna connection is mentioned, tenants do not have to pay for maintenance or repairs.
Can't the collective agreement simply continue after July 1st?
It is possible that landlords or property managers do not terminate the collective agreement. Perhaps because they believe that the agreement is advantageous for the tenants or because the notice periods were not observed. In this case, the following applies: landlords are no longer allowed to offset this collective agreement against the rent. In extreme cases, they are left with the costs.
In many cases, landlords therefore make contracts with their tenants.
They are then supposed to pay the collective contract directly, but tenants' associations make it clear that this is basically a grey area that should be clarified with a legal expert. It is better to conclude a direct supply contract with the cable network operator. However, the tenants must agree to this clearly and in writing.
This is why the additional costs privilege is no longer applicable
The so-called ancillary costs privilege was introduced in the 1980s and now affects around 12 million tenants. Collective contracts were concluded with cable network operators for a rental property – usually at more favorable conditions. The tenants then paid for these contracts via the ancillary costs. This gave Vodafone and Tele Columbus a certain advantage. From this summer, this will no longer be possible. Consumer protection groups have filed a lawsuit against this practice. Background? Many people use their own TV contracts or watch ARD, ZDF and Co. via a satellite dish on the balcony. However, they still have to pay for the joint contract.
Such collective contracts have not been permitted for cable television since 2021. From July 1, 2024, they will even be banned. Then a transition period will end. Landlords and property managers could terminate the contracts before July 1. Tenants would then be left sitting in front of a black screen.
