I rent out a flat, and I have questions or trouble
The heart of the matter
- Form and deadline often decide before the substance does. A termination notice must be in writing and state the reason, a rent increase needs text form and a justification, and the service charge statement must reach the tenant within 12 months. Landlords who slip up here often lose despite good reasons.
- Agreements to the tenant's disadvantage are mostly invalid. Many rules of residential tenancy law cannot validly be changed to the tenant's disadvantage, such as the amount of the deposit, notice periods and rent increase procedures. A signed contract does not help then.
- No self-help. Changing the lock, cutting off electricity or water, clearing out belongings: this is prohibited, even if the tenant does not pay or stays after termination. Only the bailiff (Gerichtsvollzieher) may evict, with a court order.
- For late payment: immediate termination with a grace period. Once arrears reach a certain level, immediate termination comes into consideration. If the tenant pays everything within 2 months after service of the eviction lawsuit, or a public body undertakes to do so, it generally becomes invalid.
- A lot depends on the location. Whether the rent brake (Mietpreisbremse) applies, how high the cap on rent increases (Kappungsgrenze) is and for how long after a conversion no personal-use termination can be claimed are set by the states by ordinance. Check this for your municipality.
How the roadmap works. Answer the questions. Your roadmap is built from your answers. It shows which form and which deadline apply to your matter, what you should prepare and where to get advice. The most important thing first: in tenancy law, landlords fail more often on form and deadline than on substance, and evicting a tenant on your own is always prohibited. This roadmap is general information and is not a substitute for legal advice.
Your answers are not stored or transmitted; they only appear in your browser's address bar. Anyone who shares the link also shares the answers. Legal position as of November 2026: BGB tenancy law (§§ 535–577a) with the rent brake (§§ 556d–556g, state ordinances at most until 31 December 2029) and electronic inspection of records under § 556 Abs. 4 BGB, Betriebskostenverordnung (Operating Costs Ordinance), Heizkostenverordnung (Heating Costs Ordinance), CO2-Kostenaufteilungsgesetz (CO2 Cost Allocation Act), Bundesmeldegesetz (Federal Registration Act, §§ 17, 19), Gebäudeenergiegesetz (Buildings Energy Act, §§ 80, 87), AGG (§ 19), ZPO, EStG (§§ 7, 21). The government bill on tenancy law reform (BT-Drs. 21/6807, including index-linked rent, furnished flats, grace-period payment) was still in committee deliberation in the Bundestag in November 2026 (hearing on 14 October 2026) and not in force; the law currently in force is described.
Your situation
Your roadmap
As of November 2026. The roadmap arranges general information according to your answers. It does not review an individual case, does not replace legal advice and does not assess your dismissal or any deadline as valid, met or missed. Whether an entitlement exists is decided by the responsible office; deadlines and amounts change often – check important details with an advice centre.
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On a decision, deadline, application or responsibility. You get an answer with the matching page, the responsible office and the next step, usually within two working days. No legal advice in individual cases, no sharing of your data.