5 ms·

> Serious question: Why is it not very popular in other countries? Because some countries have much, much worse tenants rights. I moved from Ireland to Germa

by rmc 10y ago

> Serious question: Why is it not very popular in other countries? Because some countries have much, much worse tenants rights. I moved from Ireland to Germany and in Ireland: * There is basically no protection for rent increases, some people are being told their rent is increasing by 50% * Can't change your apartment. Not allowed to paint the walls, nearly all come with furniture, better make sure you don't damage any of it. * Oh the landlord/landlord's relative wants to live in the apartment. Eviction time for you. * You give your landlord your deposit. Let's hope they can find it again if you move out. * By default, no pets allowed. And many landlords will say no. * Did I mention about the rent increases?

fwn 10y ago
All of this affects you less if you are in a shared flat compared to renting it alone. The flat can be vastly more expensive as you are pooling the money and flexibility is higher as you have less furniture per person and tend to be able to join/leave shared flats on less rigid schedules. (You can find many in the middle of the month, depending on the holidays etc.) I lived in a shared flat in Germany which got a rent increase and other than all the young families in the building we really barely noticed it.
- rmc 10y ago
  > All of this affects you less if you are in a shared flat compared to renting it alone. The flat can be vastly more expensive as you are pooling the money It can still be a massive impact, because the increase can be split between all tenants. So you might have budgeted €800 per month, and now it's going up to €1,000. You've still had a 20% increase.
jamesdelaneyie 10y ago
Rent increases can only be performed every two years in Ireland from Dec 2015. And you must have 90 days notice of a rent increase. More info on this link: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/rent_increases.html http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/... The landlord's relatives issue is however the easiest way to get someone out of a property and increase rent.
- rmc 10y ago
  > Rent increases can only be performed every two years in Ireland from Dec 2015. And you must have 90 days notice of a rent increase. More info on this link: Yep that's a new law and step in the right direction. But it doesn't really limit the amount. So landlords can just batch up 2 years of increase in one go.
- pluma 10y ago
  In Germany there's a legal limit to how much the rent can be increased in addition to the time limit. And the limit depends on the location, so there are network effects. Additionally rent increases always have to be justified. And even so tenants can sue against rent increases and occasionally win, resulting in no increase or a lower increase. There's even a Renter's Association that can provide legal aide to its members when there are disputes between tenants and landlords.
premium-concern 10y ago
In Germany: - Rent increase limits - Larger changes need landlord's approval (changing walls and stuff). A lot of smaller stuff can be done on your own and doesn't require asking the landlords. (Many landlords are happy if you want to paint the walls etc., though.) - Only smaller apartments (often intended for students) come usually with furniture - The deposit has to be put on a special, locked bank account. The money can only been withdrawn if both sides tell the bank in writing that the rent contract is over - Depends on the size of the pet
- weinzierl 10y ago
  Two more: - Temporary leases for residential properties are only allowed in very special circumstances - For the landlord termination is almost impossible Tenancy law is very one-sided in Germany which leads to a high vacancy rate for residential properties (around 5% [1]). That doesn't mean that there is no housing shortage at the same time. [1] https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/258767/umfrage/totale-leerstandsquote-von-wohnungen-nach-bundeslaendern/ https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/258767/umfrag...
  - mahyarm 10y ago
    How does germany deal with the crazy tenant that destroys the place but still pays their rent? Is it an expensive and long drawn out process involving eviction court or is the security deposit very substantial?
    - ygra 10y ago
      Can be hard to fight for a landlord. Since tenancy is a very asymmetric contract (since one party's livelihood depends on having a home and the other party is merely inconvenienced if there's no tenant), tenants have vastly more rights than landlords. Terminating a contract can be done if the tenant is behind at least two monthly rents in payments, or if the landlord has personal interest in the property (Eigenbedarf), which is also rather strictly regulated, though (also won't ever happen when your landlord is a company). I'm sure they could terminate your contract if the tenant actually destroys the place. However, they first have to be aware of it (it's not typical of landlords coming to visit, and if neighbours don't complain things can go unnoticed). So usually they won't notice until they move out, although they're liable for the damages caused. The security deposit won't usually be enough to cover extensive damage, though, as it's in the order of two or three monthly rents.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
hx87 10y ago
> Not allowed to paint the walls, nearly all come with furniture, better make sure you don't damage any of it. This is the part I hate most about renting. Either leave the apartment empty, or at least give me furniture that isn't broken IKEA shit.

by rmc 10y ago

fwn 10y ago

All of this affects you less if you are in a shared flat compared to renting it alone. The flat can be vastly more expensive as you are pooling the money and flexibility is higher as you have less furniture per person and tend to be able to join/leave shared flats on less rigid schedules. (You can find many in the middle of the month, depending on the holidays etc.) I lived in a shared flat in Germany which got a rent increase and other than all the young families in the building we really barely noticed it.

rmc 10y ago
> All of this affects you less if you are in a shared flat compared to renting it alone. The flat can be vastly more expensive as you are pooling the money It can still be a massive impact, because the increase can be split between all tenants. So you might have budgeted €800 per month, and now it's going up to €1,000. You've still had a 20% increase.

jamesdelaneyie 10y ago

Rent increases can only be performed every two years in Ireland from Dec 2015. And you must have 90 days notice of a rent increase. More info on this link: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/rent_increases.html http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/... The landlord's relatives issue is however the easiest way to get someone out of a property and increase rent.

rmc 10y ago
> Rent increases can only be performed every two years in Ireland from Dec 2015. And you must have 90 days notice of a rent increase. More info on this link: Yep that's a new law and step in the right direction. But it doesn't really limit the amount. So landlords can just batch up 2 years of increase in one go.
pluma 10y ago
In Germany there's a legal limit to how much the rent can be increased in addition to the time limit. And the limit depends on the location, so there are network effects. Additionally rent increases always have to be justified. And even so tenants can sue against rent increases and occasionally win, resulting in no increase or a lower increase. There's even a Renter's Association that can provide legal aide to its members when there are disputes between tenants and landlords.

premium-concern 10y ago

In Germany: - Rent increase limits - Larger changes need landlord's approval (changing walls and stuff). A lot of smaller stuff can be done on your own and doesn't require asking the landlords. (Many landlords are happy if you want to paint the walls etc., though.) - Only smaller apartments (often intended for students) come usually with furniture - The deposit has to be put on a special, locked bank account. The money can only been withdrawn if both sides tell the bank in writing that the rent contract is over - Depends on the size of the pet

weinzierl 10y ago
Two more: - Temporary leases for residential properties are only allowed in very special circumstances - For the landlord termination is almost impossible Tenancy law is very one-sided in Germany which leads to a high vacancy rate for residential properties (around 5% [1]). That doesn't mean that there is no housing shortage at the same time. [1] https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/258767/umfrage/totale-leerstandsquote-von-wohnungen-nach-bundeslaendern/ https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/258767/umfrag...
- mahyarm 10y ago
  How does germany deal with the crazy tenant that destroys the place but still pays their rent? Is it an expensive and long drawn out process involving eviction court or is the security deposit very substantial?
  - ygra 10y ago
    Can be hard to fight for a landlord. Since tenancy is a very asymmetric contract (since one party's livelihood depends on having a home and the other party is merely inconvenienced if there's no tenant), tenants have vastly more rights than landlords. Terminating a contract can be done if the tenant is behind at least two monthly rents in payments, or if the landlord has personal interest in the property (Eigenbedarf), which is also rather strictly regulated, though (also won't ever happen when your landlord is a company). I'm sure they could terminate your contract if the tenant actually destroys the place. However, they first have to be aware of it (it's not typical of landlords coming to visit, and if neighbours don't complain things can go unnoticed). So usually they won't notice until they move out, although they're liable for the damages caused. The security deposit won't usually be enough to cover extensive damage, though, as it's in the order of two or three monthly rents.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

hx87 10y ago

> Not allowed to paint the walls, nearly all come with furniture, better make sure you don't damage any of it. This is the part I hate most about renting. Either leave the apartment empty, or at least give me furniture that isn't broken IKEA shit.