Living
Water
You wouldn’t know it by the crates and crates of carbonated water flowing into Berlin apartments (it’s the most popular beverage in the country), but the city’s tap water is perfectly safe to drink.
The water will already be on wherever you move in and, if you’re renting, your landlord will handle your water bills. If not, you can register online or call Berliner Wasserbetriebe (0800 2927587, www.bwb.de) and tell them when you moved in and read the numbers on the water meter. As with electricity, someone will show up at the end of the year, read the meters and then you’ll get a bill or a refund. The bill also covers wastewater because Wasserbetriebe uses a formula to calculate how much wastewater you returned to its system. Berlin only has one water and wastewater company, so you have to pay whatever price they’re asking, though they’re owned and controlled by the government.
If you rent, don’t confuse water and wastewater with warm water – your building likely has a central hot water heater and your landlord will bill separately for the amount of warm water you use as well.
The water will already be on wherever you move in and, if you’re renting, your landlord will handle your water bills. If not, you can register online or call Berliner Wasserbetriebe (0800 2927587, www.bwb.de) and tell them when you moved in and read the numbers on the water meter. As with electricity, someone will show up at the end of the year, read the meters and then you’ll get a bill or a refund. The bill also covers wastewater because Wasserbetriebe uses a formula to calculate how much wastewater you returned to its system. Berlin only has one water and wastewater company, so you have to pay whatever price they’re asking, though they’re owned and controlled by the government.
If you rent, don’t confuse water and wastewater with warm water – your building likely has a central hot water heater and your landlord will bill separately for the amount of warm water you use as well.
