Check your contract. If it's in there you have to pay it.

Ive had a similar experience, which I queried, but we found that the costs were in the lease agreement.

The more I live here the more I realise that Geneva is not Switzerland

I suspect you dont have to pay it, its part of the swiss rental law. Most countries have decent tennancy laws to protect renters from greedy management companies.

The only thing they can legally charge you for is water, electricty and or gas to heat the water.

http://www.asloca.ch/geneve-d%C3%A9comptes-de-chauffage-et-d%E2%80%99eau-chaude

Ill find out when i meet ASLOCA

It happens to have a similar question.

How can you control if your annual charges are real since you only receive the bill from the agency/regie and not from the company of like SIG? (I am referring for the difference you have to pay)

Could you ask for a detailed bill, regarding your apartement?

Could you ask to have acces to your monthly consumption?

Thank you in advance :-)

Dear Maria.

You've replied to a post from 2014w 

Dear "Swiss" thank you. Yes I know!

Thats why i wrote that I have a similar question.

I guess someone might have a similar topic that dealed with.

> Could you ask for a detailed bill, regarding your apartement?

The answer is yes. Ask the Régie for the "décompte général des charges" to know your charges, and for the "tableau de répartition entre les locataires" to know how global charges are split between tenants. You have the right to get this information. I'm not sure whether you can get to know the monthly charges or just the annual ones. In doubt, always ask ASLOCA.

Thank you for your response! Will do as you suggest.

Hi Maria. To answer your above question  - In accordance with articles 4 and 8 of the Swiss Rental Leases Ordinance (the "OBLF"), the régie must draw up and present to each tenant an annual detailed statement of the annual charges debited for the previous year. This is normally done somewhere in the time gap June - September each year (variations mostly depending on how many buildings the régie has under management). If a tenant does not receive an annual detailed statement, they may request it from the régie and may also request to inspect the regie's accounts to which the statement refers. Best of luck

Ps. You can find the ordinance in fulltext here: https://fedlex.data.admin.ch, where you may also find many Swiss laws and regulations also translated into English (not this one though and I'm afraid, but translation app DeepL does a very good job at assisting with such), to assist foreigners not speaking any of the official Swiss languages with protecting their legal rights.    

Thank you very much. I think it will be helpful for other as well! 

That was the general idea, yes and indeed.... The heavy ongoing real estate lobbying, which has considerably deteriorated the protection of tenants in Switzerland in 2022-2023 (and especially in Geneva, where many tenants don't sufficiently know their rights due to e.g. language barriers) is a disgrace, unacceptable, needs to definitely be reigned in, controlled and, to the extent possible, stopped. I'll certainly do what I can to inform, guide and support. As always - Knowledge is power.