A German Landlord Sent a Terrifying, Legalistic Letter Demand—but Tenant Law Stands Completely on the Resident’s Side
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Imagine moving into an apartment you plan to live in for a long time. What would you do if you got a letter in the mail that basically told you rent was going up and you needed to move out or start paying more?
In this story, someone who lives in Germany was in this exact situation, and he was freaking out! Thankfully, someone gave him some good advice, and he was able to talk to a lawyer who could help.
But getting the landlord to back off for good wasn’t that easy.
Keep reading for all the details.
My landlord thought he could pull one over on me, but ended up learning the meaning of “You should’ve read the fine print before you signed it.”
Some context: I live in Germany, which has extremely strong tenant’s rights.
I’ve been living in my apartment for about eight years now.
About one year after I first moved in, I got a letter from the company that owns my apartment building.
The letter was completely unexpected.
In short, it said this:
Dear Mr. X,
We are cancelling your existing rental contract. If you wish to continue renting this apartment, please sign this new contract [with higher rent] or move out within 30 days.
This is bad!
This scared the hell out of me.
I was living in a city where the rent prices were skyrocketing and I had only just managed to find a long- term apartment I could afford.
As soon as I began looking at my options, it became clear that I was either going to have to fight what was essentially an eviction or move back to the US and start building my life again just after I had finally found some stability.
He’s so lucky someone gave him this advice.
After I asked around a bit, someone tipped me off to something called a Mieterverein, which is essentially a nonprofit group that advocates for tenant’s rights and gives its members the opportunity to get legal advice regarding their rights as tenants.
I looked one up near me and booked it over to their office. I explained my situation, filled out some paperwork, and went to speak with the group’s lawyer. I showed her the letter and my current contract and she looked over it for a few minutes without saying a word.
After what felt like an eternity, she looked at me and said in her most diplomatic German legalese, “You have nothing to worry about. This letter is nonsense” (admittedly paraphrased, but that’s what it boiled down to).
What a relief!
She then turned to a page of the contract and pointed out a single line in it: “No changes may be made to this contract unless both parties consent to the proposed changes.”
In other words: as long as I refuse to sign the new contract, they can’t do anything to me.
The group’s lawyer then sent a letter on my behalf to the company. I received a copy of it for my records and essentially, it told the company that they would find themselves in some major trouble with the government if they continued to pursue the matter further.
But it wasn’t over.
About a month went by and I heard nothing further.
Then, one day, a letter from the company arrived. The company basically admitted defeat and tried to cover its tail by saying that the letter was “sent in error” by “an employee who is no longer with the company.”
For the next seven years, it became an annual ritual: Company sends ominous letter telling me I’m getting kicked out, I forward the letter to the Mieterverein, and the Mieterverein’s lawyer sends them a letter telling them to stick the letter where the sun don’t shine. And then, after attempt #8, the lawyer sent them another letter telling them to cut the nonsense and stop sending these letters every year.
I haven’t heard from them since 🙂
How annoying! Thankfully, the law is on OP’s side.
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Let’s see how Reddit responded.
This is good advice.
I’m wondering the same thing.
Another person shares some helpful advice.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a tenant who is getting evicted because they refuse to let their landlord in whenever he wants.
This person has questions.
It’s crazy that the landlord still kept sending the same letter every year just to get the same letter from a lawyer saying to stop. But, seriously, how many years can he live in the same apartment without any increase in rent? Germany must have some amazing rent control rules.
OP should really share this advice with other tenants. Sharing is caring.
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