What applies in 2027
| Cost driver or rule | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical trade, Berlin-Brandenburg | Benchmark wage €20.10 from 1 January 2027 (+3.06%), €20.70 from 2028 | adopted |
| Plumbing and HVAC trade, North Rhine-Westphalia | +2.55% from 1 March 2027 | adopted |
| Metal and electrical industry | No-strike obligation ends on 31 October 2026; IG Metall is demanding 5% | pending |
| Construction prices, maintenance of residential buildings | August 2026: +6.0% year on year; in new construction, electrical installations +7.2%, heating systems +5.2% | statistics |
| Metals, producer prices | September 2026: +14.0%; copper and semi-finished copper products +31.4% | statistics |
| Refrigerants (F-gases) | In 2027, the permitted quantities of HFCs will be halved | adopted |
In the two settlements above, wages rise in 2027 by 2.55% (plumbing and HVAC, North Rhine-Westphalia) and 3.06% (electrical trade, Berlin-Brandenburg); other bargaining regions have their own settlements. If your service provider announces a significantly higher increase, the rest has to come from materials or other costs, and that can be backed up with evidence. For materials, metals are the main driver: copper and semi-finished copper products were 31.4% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier.
What makes up the price
A maintenance contract usually combines a flat fee per installation for a defined scope with hourly rates for repairs, call-out charges per visit and materials, charged either at purchase price plus a mark-up or at list price less a discount. Response times and on-call service are separate price components. Inspections by approved inspection bodies, for example for lifts, are added as third-party services.
Inspections that trigger costs
| Equipment | Inspection | Interval | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifts | Main inspection by an approved inspection body, with an intermediate inspection in between | Interval set by the employer, no more than two years | BetrSichV, Annex 2, Section 2 |
| Electrical installations and fixed equipment | Inspection by a qualified electrician | Guide value: four years | DGUV Vorschrift 3 |
| Portable electrical equipment | Inspection by a competent person | Guide value: six months; longer if the failure rate is below 2%, up to one year in workshops and up to two years in offices | DGUV Vorschrift 3 |
| Fire extinguishers | Servicing by a qualified person | every two years; other intervals only as specified by the manufacturer | ASR A2.2 |
| Refrigeration and air conditioning systems with F-gases | Leak check by certified personnel | depending on the refrigerant charge in CO2 equivalent, for some gases in kilograms; less frequently with leak detection | Regulation (EU) 2024/573 |
Specify in the contract who monitors the deadlines, commissions the inspection body and follows up on defects. Otherwise you will pay for inspections twice or miss them.
Six points where maintenance contracts become too expensive
- Flat fee without a specification of services. It remains unclear whether repairs, materials, call-out charges and service reports are included. An asset register for each site with a specification of services provides clarity.
- Response time not defined. Does it run until arrival or until the fault is fixed, during which service hours, and what happens if it is missed? Tier response times by criticality: refrigeration needs a different one from a roller shutter.
- Call-out charge per visit. Across a branch network, individual call-out charges add up. Bundle appointments by region and plan routes.
- Material mark-up without a basis. A mark-up on a list price that nobody checks, and no approval limit for repairs. Agree the basis, for example the purchase price as shown on the invoice, a fixed mark-up and an approval limit.
- Intervals shorter than necessary. Maintenance more often than regulations, the manufacturer and the risk assessment require. For portable electrical equipment, a low failure rate allows longer intervals.
- Wage escalation on the total price. Agreed pay increases only affect the wage component. Materials should be tied to an index, not to a flat mark-up. More on price adjustment clauses
Before you agree to an increase
Ask your service provider in writing:
- Which installations and services does the flat fee cover, and which does it not?
- Which collective agreement applies to your staff, and how large is the wage component of the price?
- How do you charge for materials: with what mark-up, on what basis?
- How is the response time defined, and what happens if it is missed?
- Who monitors the inspection deadlines, and who commissions the inspection body?
For the review, you need: the maintenance contracts with equipment lists, the specifications of services, service and inspection reports, and the invoices for the last twelve months.
How we renegotiate maintenance contracts
We use your contracts and invoices to build an asset register for each site, compare flat fees, hourly rates and call-out charges, and recalculate price adjustments against collective agreements and the materials index. Our senior negotiators handle large contracts in person, together with your buyer. We handle the many small contracts in a standardised, software-supported way, according to your rules. You approve every deal.
Frequently asked questions about maintenance
Our maintenance provider is announcing a 7% increase for 2027, citing collective pay agreements. Is that plausible?
Compare it with the agreed pay increases: 3.06% in the electrical trade in Berlin-Brandenburg from January 2027, 2.55% in the plumbing and HVAC trade in North Rhine-Westphalia from March 2027. A collective pay increase only affects the wage component: with a 60% wage component, a 3% pay increase accounts for around 1.8% on the price. Your service provider must justify the rest with other costs, such as materials.
How often does electrical equipment need to be inspected?
The employer sets this in the risk assessment. Guide values under DGUV Vorschrift 3 (German accident prevention regulation): portable electrical equipment every six months, less often with a failure rate below 2%, up to two years in offices; installations and fixed equipment every four years.
Is the lift inspection included in the maintenance price?
The inspections are carried out by an approved inspection body, not by the maintenance provider: the main inspection at intervals of no more than two years, with an intermediate inspection in between. Whether the provider’s attendance at inspections and the fees are included in the maintenance price is set out in your contract.
What changes for refrigeration systems in 2027?
Under the F-Gas Regulation, the quantities of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that may be placed on the market will be halved in 2027; by 2050, placing them on the market will be phased out. Bans for servicing and new equipment are being introduced step by step. How much this will push up refrigerant prices remains uncertain.
Sources
- IG Metall: Tarifergebnis Elektrohandwerk Berlin-Brandenburg (pay settlement for the electrical trade in Berlin-Brandenburg), 25 August 2026
- IG Metall: Tarifergebnis SHK-Handwerk Nordrhein-Westfalen (pay settlement for the plumbing, heating and air conditioning trade in North Rhine-Westphalia), 13 February 2026
- IG Metall: 2026 metal and electrical industry pay round, as of 1 October 2026
- Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): construction prices in August 2026, press release of 9 October 2026
- Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): producer prices in September 2026, press release of 20 October 2026
- Betriebssicherheitsverordnung (Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health), Annex 2
- BGN: inspection of electrical installations and equipment under DGUV Vorschrift 3
- BAuA: ASR A2.2 Maßnahmen gegen Brände (fire protection measures), May 2018 edition, last amended 2025
- Umweltbundesamt (German Environment Agency): EU Regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases, updated 5 October 2026
- Umweltbundesamt (German Environment Agency): questions on leak checks under the F-Gas Regulation
