Apartment running costs in Georgia: a budget checklist

Start with the actual agreements and intended use rather than an average apartment bill. An occupied home, an empty apartment and a rental operation require different budgets.

Separate the monthly cost categories

Distinguish utility consumption, fixed building charges and additional services. Record the provider, billing unit, tariff date, billing period and payer. For an area-based charge, establish which area the agreement uses: contractual, registered or another stated measurement.

For electricity, water, gas and connectivity, request account information, tariff category, meter-reading procedure and sample invoices. Identify the apartment’s actual heating and hot-water systems. Another building’s bills are not comparable without checking equipment and occupancy patterns.

Questions for the management company

Request the service agreement, included works, tariff and price-change procedure. Separate common-area cleaning, lifts, security, grounds, parking and other facilities. A pool or gym appearing in a rendering does not establish free access.

Check when billing begins, charges while empty, connections, deposits and additional works. Ask how major repairs and unexpected expenditure are agreed, who receives service requests and how completion is documented. These are checks on the particular agreement rather than a standard tariff for all developments.

Plan for an empty apartment

Prepare arrangements for absence: water and electrical checks, ventilation, inspection after poor weather, backup access and emergency contact. Identify someone able to visit and the expenditure they may approve without you.

Compare minimum costs without occupation with costs during actual use. Where rental management is involved, distinguish the building charge from the letting commission; they may cover different services. Reconcile the documents to avoid counting one expense twice or missing another.

Annual budget and evidence

Request bills covering a full usage cycle, including periods of absence. Add a specific insurance quotation, equipment servicing, small repairs, furniture replacement and a reserve for identified work. A new property may lack historical bills; label quotations and assumptions accordingly instead of presenting them as observed statistics.

Calculate property tax separately from the management invoice. Tax Code Articles 202 and 206 describe individual-owner conditions, including family income and the exclusion of land from the relevant exemption. Source: Tax Code, Articles 202 and 206, checked 30 October 2026. See the tax guide.

Our database contains no verified series of apartment utility bills or service tariffs. It cannot support an average dollar amount or universal charge per square metre. Use the particular building’s document and validity date to make the decision.

Frequently asked questions

Does an empty apartment cost nothing?

Check fixed contractual charges, connectivity, access and necessary inspections. Zero consumption does not establish zero payments.

How should I compare two developments?

Use the same expense categories, annual period and usage pattern. Show fixed costs, consumption, optional services and a maintenance reserve separately.

Can the tenant pay everything?

Review each charge under the tenancy and service agreements. The owner’s budget should also cover vacant periods, unexpected repairs and operator deductions.