Recording energy meter readings: how not to lose money at the tenant settlement

A single mis-copied number from the electricity meter can cost you thousands of crowns at year-end — and if your readings are not properly documented, in a dispute with a tenant you usually end up holding the short end of the stick. This guide is for advanced landlords who already know the basics and want their record of energy readings to be so bullet-proof that the settlement holds up even in court. We will go through the statutory deadlines, the handover protocol, photo documentation, and how an app can help.

Why a record of energy readings is crucial precisely for you

When you rent out a flat over the long term, you know that most of the nerves and money are usually “harvested” at the annual settlement of services. The tenant questions the water consumption, claims the meter showed a different number at move-in, or argues the arrears are excessive. Without data, you are at that moment left to guesswork — and the burden of proof lies with whoever claims and demands something.

A record of energy readings is not extra bureaucracy. It is your insurance. Well-kept, dated and signed readings (ideally backed up by photos) are what decides whether you actually recover the arrears from a departed tenant or pay them out of your own pocket. Operating data from the rental are also part of what makes up the real return — which is why it pays to keep them together with the rest of your assets, for example alongside your real-estate records and the development of their value.

What the law says: deadlines and penalties you must know

The settlement of services connected with the use of a flat is governed by Act No. 67/2013 Coll. (the so-called Services Act) and, more generally, by the Civil Code (Act No. 89/2012 Coll.). The following points are essential for landlords:

The law is unambiguous in § 7(1): “the provider of services shall settle the actual amount of costs and advances for individual services with the recipient of services always for the billing period and shall deliver the settlement to the recipient of services no later than within 4 months of the end of the billing period.” For the financial settlement, a further deadline applies under § 7(3): “The provider and the recipient of services shall carry out the financial settlement within the agreed period, but no later than within 4 months of the day the settlement is delivered to the recipient of services.”

To better picture how the deadlines follow one another over time:

Beware of the amendment in force from 1 January 2023 (Act No. 424/2022 Coll.). This amendment rewrote § 8 of the Services Act. The tenant’s right to request documents and the deadline for objections are now tied to 30 days from delivery of the settlement, not to the earlier “5 months after the end of the billing period” still cited by many older articles (this is outdated wording valid only until 31 December 2022 — in practice the most common source of mistakes). The current state is confirmed by the commentary to the Act: “In the wording of Act No. 67/2013 effective from 1 January 2023, objections must be submitted to the provider of services within 30 days of delivery of the settlement … If the recipient of services fails to submit objections within this period, it is deemed that they agree with the manner and content of the settlement.” The amendment also enshrined that defects in the settlement do not affect the maturity of an overpayment and that the maturity of arrears is not affected by defects that have no impact on its amount. This protects the landlord from having the whole settlement collapse over a minor formal error (for example, an inaccuracy of a few crowns).

The penalty rate of CZK 50 per day follows from § 13(2): “The agreed amount of the penalty must not exceed CZK 50 for each day of delay started. If no agreement is reached with the tenants, or no decision of the cooperative or association is made, the penalty amounts to CZK 50 for each day of delay started.” This rate has applied since 1 January 2016, when amendment No. 104/2015 Coll. reduced it from the original CZK 100 per day; no amendment effective in 2024–2026 has changed it (the last major amendment, No. 424/2022 Coll., did not touch § 13 at all). The penalty may be agreed lower (with at least a two-thirds majority of tenants in the building, or by a decision of the cooperative or homeowners’ association); if no agreement is reached, the CZK 50 applies. Since the law sets no overall cap, only a daily maximum, over a longer delay it can climb to a non-trivial sum per year (of the order of up to around CZK 18,000 a year). The sanction, moreover, cuts both ways — the same penalty also threatens a tenant who, for example, fails to report a change in the number of persons in the flat.

Calculate the penalty for delay

The law sets only a daily rate (max. CZK 50) and no overall cap. Enter the number of days of delay and see how high the penalty climbs. Everything is calculated right in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.

Which services do you actually settle

The Services Act applies to performances provided by the landlord. The Civil Code, in § 2247(2), designates as “essential services” the supply of water, the removal and drainage of waste water, the supply of heat, the removal of municipal waste, the lighting and cleaning of the common parts of the building, securing radio and television reception, the operation and cleaning of chimneys, and, where applicable, the operation of a lift.

If the tenant transfers electricity and gas directly into their own name, they settle these themselves with their supplier. Water and sewerage cannot be transferred to the tenant — these always remain with you and you settle them.

An important detail for heat and hot water: apportionment is governed by Decree No. 269/2015 Coll. After the amendment (Decree No. 274/2023 Coll., effective from 1 January 2024, first applied to the 2024 billing period), the total cost of heating is split into a basic component of 40–60 % (depending on the building’s energy performance, apportioned by floor area), with the remainder forming the consumption component (by metered readings). For hot water, the basic component is 30 % and the consumption component 70 % of the heat costs.

The handover protocol: your strongest evidence

The handover protocol is not required by law, but in practice it is the most important document of the entire tenancy. Courts routinely treat it as the decisive evidence of the state of the flat and the meters at the moment of handover. As legal advisory services for landlords point out: without a signed protocol reflecting the state of the flat, the landlord usually cannot meet the burden of proof in court proceedings for damages or for arrears.

Draw up the protocol both at move-in and at the end of the tenancy. For each meter, record:

For each meter, take a photograph showing both the serial number and the current reading legibly at once. A mobile photo with a date (EXIF data) is, in practice, much stronger evidence than a merely copied number that the tenant can dispute. Keep the protocol at least for the duration of the tenancy and afterwards for at least the general three-year limitation period. It pays to keep scanned protocols and meter photos safely in one place — that is what a document store attached to each asset is for, so you can find them quickly in the event of a dispute.

Tip for the advanced: If the building has remotely readable metering of heat and hot water (mandatory for new installations, and across the board no later than 1 January 2027), the homeowners’ association/supplier has been obliged since 1 January 2024 to provide information on consumption monthly (§ 8a of the Services Act). Archive these monthly overviews — they are further independent evidence of how consumption develops.

Common disputes and how to prevent them with records

The same situations recur in the practice of landlords and lawyers alike. Well-kept records resolve them before they even arise:

How a property-management app helps you

Excel and a drawer full of papers work as long as you manage a single flat and have a reliable tenant. As soon as tenants come and go, or you have more than one flat, a property-management app that keeps the record of energy readings in one place and over time begins to pay off.

What you gain from smart recording of readings:

Tracking water, electricity and gas readings in a single app also fits into the broader overview of your assets — alongside the property and the development of its value, you keep the operating data that makes up the real return on the rental under control too. When you feed these figures into your net-worth overview and track them in consumption and spending analytics, you see your finances in context and decide on the basis of data, not guesswork. This is precisely the principle on which Assetli is built — and why you will appreciate it most as an investor and landlord.

A practical checklist for bullet-proof records

Tick off the individual items — the checklist is interactive, so you can mark off the completed items as you prepare.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion: data is cheaper than disputes

A dispute over a settlement costs time, nerves and money — and often ends with you paying the arrears out of your own pocket simply because you were missing one piece of paper or one photo. A careful record of energy readings is the cheapest insurance a landlord can have. A signed protocol, dated photos and continuously kept readings turn a potential dispute into a routine matter.

You might also be interested in how the operating data and the value of the property add up to the overall picture of your assets — see the guide How to calculate your net worth.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The deadlines and rates given are based on the wording of Act No. 67/2013 Coll., the Civil Code and related decrees in force as of 17 June 2026, and may change with amendments. In a specific dispute, consult a lawyer.