7000 euros back payment

Operating costs in cooperatives explode

The tenants of the Gesiba cooperative building do not want to accept the increase.(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

Tenants of two cooperative buildings in Vienna are confronted with horrendous operating costs - these are said to be incomprehensible. The residents now want to fight this.

The residents of a cooperative building in Gumplowiczstraße in the 22nd district could hardly believe their eyes when they received their utility bills: up to 4000 euros in additional payments per apartment.

The biggest chunk with the most blatant increase was the energy costs. While these were still 207,700 euros in the statement for 2021, they are already 752,600 euros in the current one.

"We were told that it was due to the price increase from the energy provider," explains one resident. "But why haven't the costs risen like this in all the other Gesiba buildings?" she asks.

In Patriziagasse, too, the waters are rising.(Bild: Franz Hödl)

Billing too late
When asked by Krone, Gesiba said that in this case two heating periods were charged because Wien Energie had submitted the bill for the previous year too late. But even then, such an increase is not comprehensible, according to the tenants, who now want to turn to the Chamber of Labor.

More than 7000 euros back payment
There is a similar case in Patrizigasse in Floridsdorf. The residents there received a letter from the Schönere Zukunft cooperative stating that their energy costs had risen from EUR 14,450 in 2022 to almost EUR 64,000 in 2023. "This will lead to large additional payments," it says. More precisely, up to more than 7,000 euros for one tenant.

Independent audit required
Support could be requested from the Ministry of Social Affairs. Following letters of protest from tenants, a recalculation is now to be carried out. Former district councillor Hansjörg Schimanek is calling for an independent audit by the Association for Consumer Protection.