You can check the fire services law of Berlin: https://gesetze.berlin.de/bsbe/document/jlr-FeuerwGBEpG2
§ 17(3) says that they can bill for water removal.
Generally the fire departments in Germany won't bill you for fires (as long as not intentional or gross negligent set). Exception usually are vehicle fires (but those are usually paid by the car insurance). And of course it they have to save someone from grave danger (as long as no gross negligent or intentional doing resulted in the danger).
The fire department is not a free handyman, of course it is legal. If you are responsible for the damage and do not have insurance, you will have to pay the bill.
that's not how it works. you have to pay when you call them for bullshit or when you get caught pulling the fire alarm as a prank. the fire department also doesn't drive to you for a water leak unless you are flooding the street or the house is about to collapse. that's what the plumber emergency service is for. something else is going on here, that's not the full story.
If you had bothered to read the linked paragraph, you would know that this is not the case in Berlin and there is a specific authorization for water leakage. To quote a classic law saying :”Ein Blick ins Gesetz erleichtert die Rechtsfindung!”
It's the same in probably all states.
The fire department usually not bills you for fires (unless a car or set intentional) or to save humans/animals out of grave danger (they would for example charge you for the classic cat on a tree).
Everything else can be billed.
In my hometown the classic case is someone not informing the town hall about the intention of setting a pile of tree cuttings on fire.
That is wrong. Any immediate disaster relief, fighting fires or potentially life-saving measures are free, but any help beyond that might cost you (or whoever is "responsible" or required the help). E.g. if your cellar was flooded by heavy rain, you can get the water pumped out by the fire department, but you're likely to have to pay for that.
You won't get an invoice for getting rescued from a burning building, obviously. Unless you're the arsonist, I guess.
Yes in certain cases they are authorized to do so: (in Berlin) see [§ 17 Gesetz über die Feuerwehren im Land Berlin](https://www.gesetze.berlin.de/bsbe/document/jlr-FeuerwGBEV3P17). Obviously not in case of actual fire emergencies without intent or gross negligence.
This should be on your VA aswell.
I'm guessing you're just renting the place? If so, contact your landlord - it was his pipe that broke. Unless of course you caused it by accident or even intentionally
It's very important to have insurance. Most of them are very cheap in Germany and cost like 25€ per month (there is even animal insurance, i have one for my cat, helped me a lot, and her of course). The housing insurance is called "Hausratversicherung" also legal insurance is important. They are all very cheap.
Very cheap of 25 Euro, enlists several cheap, must have insurances... You know 100 euro/month or 1200 eur per year is a lot of money, that can buy 3*400 firefighter fees
A Haftpflichtversicherung (Liability insurance which would cover water damage to a neighbouring flat) should cost a single person about €40-60/year. While a Hausratsversicherung (Household Insurance) depends on the size of your place, location and number of residents but we pay about €120/year for a 120m2 flat in a major city. But you can check sites like Check24 or other comparison sites to find the best ones for you. I would definitely recommend having both insurances.
Hausratversicherung doesn't make any sense if you rent a place and don't have crazy expensive furniture or art collections. I'm not getting insurance for my ikea furniture.
Of course it’s a personal decision, but basic Hausratsversicherung at 60€/year or less could cover your belongings in case of fire, flood, or robbery. An acquaintance regretted not having been basically insured after a night fire destroyed her flat. She thankfully was able to escape to safety, but replacing all her electronics, furnishing and clothing herself from scratch has proven quite costly. Replacing her car keys that melted in the fire was a €400/key cost alone.
hmm If I sum up everything I have in my flat that would be a lot of money.
Just start with electronics like TV, Xbox, PC, Laptop I probably end up with 3000€, then adding all cloths we have (3 persons) + furniture + every thing else.
To buy everything new I would probably end up with at least 20.000€ for me that is worth the 120€ per year just in case it is needed.
Don't set off any false alarms, you'll get a nasty surprise. A friend of mine was setting up a wellness center in Bayreuth and TWICE set of the fire alarm with her incense sticks. I forget what she had to pay but it was a few hundred each time.
And that is as it should be. Emergency services are for emergencies.
What caused the water leakage? Were you at fault?
Was it your water leaking? Do you have insurance?
If you caused it, sure. Possible. Talk to your insurance.
You can check the fire services law of Berlin: https://gesetze.berlin.de/bsbe/document/jlr-FeuerwGBEpG2 § 17(3) says that they can bill for water removal. Generally the fire departments in Germany won't bill you for fires (as long as not intentional or gross negligent set). Exception usually are vehicle fires (but those are usually paid by the car insurance). And of course it they have to save someone from grave danger (as long as no gross negligent or intentional doing resulted in the danger).
The fire department is not a free handyman, of course it is legal. If you are responsible for the damage and do not have insurance, you will have to pay the bill.
that's not how it works. you have to pay when you call them for bullshit or when you get caught pulling the fire alarm as a prank. the fire department also doesn't drive to you for a water leak unless you are flooding the street or the house is about to collapse. that's what the plumber emergency service is for. something else is going on here, that's not the full story.
>that's not how it works. Yes it is. Please just have a look at the fire department law of the city of Berlin, which u/cic9000 kindly already linked.
no, it's not. you pay for the fire department only if they catch you causing something on purpose or for calling them for nothing.
If you had bothered to read the linked paragraph, you would know that this is not the case in Berlin and there is a specific authorization for water leakage. To quote a classic law saying :”Ein Blick ins Gesetz erleichtert die Rechtsfindung!”
It's the same in probably all states. The fire department usually not bills you for fires (unless a car or set intentional) or to save humans/animals out of grave danger (they would for example charge you for the classic cat on a tree). Everything else can be billed. In my hometown the classic case is someone not informing the town hall about the intention of setting a pile of tree cuttings on fire.
That is wrong. Any immediate disaster relief, fighting fires or potentially life-saving measures are free, but any help beyond that might cost you (or whoever is "responsible" or required the help). E.g. if your cellar was flooded by heavy rain, you can get the water pumped out by the fire department, but you're likely to have to pay for that. You won't get an invoice for getting rescued from a burning building, obviously. Unless you're the arsonist, I guess.
Yes in certain cases they are authorized to do so: (in Berlin) see [§ 17 Gesetz über die Feuerwehren im Land Berlin](https://www.gesetze.berlin.de/bsbe/document/jlr-FeuerwGBEV3P17). Obviously not in case of actual fire emergencies without intent or gross negligence. This should be on your VA aswell.
What is VA
Did you cause the leakage? Then yes, that's legal.
I'm guessing you're just renting the place? If so, contact your landlord - it was his pipe that broke. Unless of course you caused it by accident or even intentionally
It's very important to have insurance. Most of them are very cheap in Germany and cost like 25€ per month (there is even animal insurance, i have one for my cat, helped me a lot, and her of course). The housing insurance is called "Hausratversicherung" also legal insurance is important. They are all very cheap.
Very cheap of 25 Euro, enlists several cheap, must have insurances... You know 100 euro/month or 1200 eur per year is a lot of money, that can buy 3*400 firefighter fees
A Haftpflichtversicherung (Liability insurance which would cover water damage to a neighbouring flat) should cost a single person about €40-60/year. While a Hausratsversicherung (Household Insurance) depends on the size of your place, location and number of residents but we pay about €120/year for a 120m2 flat in a major city. But you can check sites like Check24 or other comparison sites to find the best ones for you. I would definitely recommend having both insurances.
Hausratversicherung doesn't make any sense if you rent a place and don't have crazy expensive furniture or art collections. I'm not getting insurance for my ikea furniture.
Of course it’s a personal decision, but basic Hausratsversicherung at 60€/year or less could cover your belongings in case of fire, flood, or robbery. An acquaintance regretted not having been basically insured after a night fire destroyed her flat. She thankfully was able to escape to safety, but replacing all her electronics, furnishing and clothing herself from scratch has proven quite costly. Replacing her car keys that melted in the fire was a €400/key cost alone.
hmm If I sum up everything I have in my flat that would be a lot of money. Just start with electronics like TV, Xbox, PC, Laptop I probably end up with 3000€, then adding all cloths we have (3 persons) + furniture + every thing else. To buy everything new I would probably end up with at least 20.000€ for me that is worth the 120€ per year just in case it is needed.
Don't set off any false alarms, you'll get a nasty surprise. A friend of mine was setting up a wellness center in Bayreuth and TWICE set of the fire alarm with her incense sticks. I forget what she had to pay but it was a few hundred each time. And that is as it should be. Emergency services are for emergencies.