As a result of the pandemic, Austrians spent a lot of time at home in 2020. That increases the operating costs.
The pandemic, the increased time we spend through lockdowns at home and the home office mean higher operating costs for the households affected. Individual property managers are already advising their tenants that the operating costs, which will be billed in July of this year, could be a little higher.
The reasons for it
In addition to working from home, the reasons for this are the absence of holidays. The living rooms were also heated during the day, more people cooked themselves and, as a result, more dishes were washed. In the households where home office was the order of the day, laptops, computers and printers were in operation. All of this leads to an increased consumption of water, electricity and heat.
Around 10 percent more
Property managers expect operating costs to be ten percent higher than in previous years. Since the billing for 2020 will not take place until July 2021, some administrations have already made provisions with an increase in running costs at the beginning of the year.
Higher energy costs
Energy suppliers also expect higher costs. Wien Energie expects a ten percent increase in energy consumption. But that is only an estimate and depends on how many people per household have worked at home. The heating costs will depend on how cold the winter months will be this year.
Home office regulation
Incidentally, the additional costs for the home office are an important point in the planned home office regulation of the federal government. The employee representatives are calling for a replacement by the employer. The Chamber of Labor expected around 25 euros, which should be reimbursed as a lower limit. The new Labor Minister Martin Kocher, who has only recently taken office, has put the home office regulation on his list of priorities. If everything goes according to plan, it should be finished in January.
