I moved into a 3-bedroom apartment in Berlin on January 1st, 2020, with a monthly rent of €1,500.
My lease is set to expire on December 31st, 2023. In September 2022, my landlord informed me that they were increasing the rent by 15% starting January 1st, 2023, citing some renovations they had made to the building. I reluctantly agreed to the increase, but now I've discovered that my landlord has been overcharging me for utilities since the beginning of my tenancy.
After comparing my utility bills with my neighbors, I found out that I've been paying an average of €150 per month more than I should have for the past 3 years. When I approached my landlord about this issue, they claimed that the extra charges were due to the high energy efficiency standards of the building, which they had failed to mention before I signed the lease.