4 ms·

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 do

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 The money can only been withdrawn if both sides tell the bank in writing that the rent contract is over - Depends on the size of the pet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.
    - mahyarm 10y ago
      I wouldn't call it "merely inconvenienced" depending on the landlord and situation. Elderly people who are renting out a spare unit usually can't afford large amounts of damages or court fees. Also if your mortgaged backed it can be fairly financially ruinous while your waiting for repairs to be done and you have no rental income. People who also ruin places tend to be judgement proof too. I'm guessing Germany is more civilized than SF, so these worries are not as high, but I suspect it's part of the reason why places like berlin have supply issue despite a %5 vacancy rate in some buildings.
pluma 10y ago
Actually IIRC the law was changed so tenants only have to make sure the walls have a neutral appearance (i.e. usually white woodchip wallpaper) when moving out, so they're pretty much free to decorate the place as they want as long as they don't outright demolish or damage the walls. There used to be a requirement for tenants to renovate the apartment (i.e. thorough cleaning, new wallpaper and white paint) before moving out but that requirement has been reduced to "besenrein" (literally "broom clean", i.e. no rubbish or dirt). Damage to windows and existing fittings etc is deducted from the deposit but tenants have the right to a formal inspection with a signed report to avoid dubious claims. The "Kautionskonto" (the special bank account) is widespread but not universal. However there are also co-operatives that invest your deposit and actually pass on the interest to you when you move out (these apartments are rare though). Some specifics on pets: fish and caged pets (e.g. rodents) are generally allowed within normal quantities. Cats require approval but disapproval is practically impossible unless there are very good reasons. Dogs always require approval and disapproval is more likely. Many contracts explicitly allow specific pets (including dogs). If another tenant was given permission for a dog, it's hard or impossible to make a case for forbidding a similar dog. "Kampfhunde" (attack dogs) may be more problematic.
- premium-concern 10y ago
  > However there are also co-operatives that invest your deposit and actually pass on the interest to you when you move out (these apartments are rare though). This is not optional. It is required by law. Interest from deposits belong to the renter.
  - pluma 10y ago
    Sure, but the difference is that they actually invest it. Normally the money pretty much just sits there.
    - premium-concern 10y ago
      Given the size of the deposits, and the ROIs of available low-risk investments, does the difference really matter? Skip a single CappuFrappeGingerPumpkinLatte (or what people buy in cafes in SF) and you just got more money than any investment on the deposit can ever make.
expertentipp 10y ago
> Many landlords are happy if you want to paint the walls etc., though. Many landlords scam tenants into "refreshing" costs of the apartment. The cost of the lawyer to litigate is accidentally of the same order of magnitude as the cost of the "refreshing" so many tenants just give up (unless their daddy is a lawyer). > 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 Not in high demand areas i.e. any major city including Berlin.

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.
  - mahyarm 10y ago
    I wouldn't call it "merely inconvenienced" depending on the landlord and situation. Elderly people who are renting out a spare unit usually can't afford large amounts of damages or court fees. Also if your mortgaged backed it can be fairly financially ruinous while your waiting for repairs to be done and you have no rental income. People who also ruin places tend to be judgement proof too. I'm guessing Germany is more civilized than SF, so these worries are not as high, but I suspect it's part of the reason why places like berlin have supply issue despite a %5 vacancy rate in some buildings.

pluma 10y ago

Actually IIRC the law was changed so tenants only have to make sure the walls have a neutral appearance (i.e. usually white woodchip wallpaper) when moving out, so they're pretty much free to decorate the place as they want as long as they don't outright demolish or damage the walls. There used to be a requirement for tenants to renovate the apartment (i.e. thorough cleaning, new wallpaper and white paint) before moving out but that requirement has been reduced to "besenrein" (literally "broom clean", i.e. no rubbish or dirt). Damage to windows and existing fittings etc is deducted from the deposit but tenants have the right to a formal inspection with a signed report to avoid dubious claims. The "Kautionskonto" (the special bank account) is widespread but not universal. However there are also co-operatives that invest your deposit and actually pass on the interest to you when you move out (these apartments are rare though). Some specifics on pets: fish and caged pets (e.g. rodents) are generally allowed within normal quantities. Cats require approval but disapproval is practically impossible unless there are very good reasons. Dogs always require approval and disapproval is more likely. Many contracts explicitly allow specific pets (including dogs). If another tenant was given permission for a dog, it's hard or impossible to make a case for forbidding a similar dog. "Kampfhunde" (attack dogs) may be more problematic.

premium-concern 10y ago
> However there are also co-operatives that invest your deposit and actually pass on the interest to you when you move out (these apartments are rare though). This is not optional. It is required by law. Interest from deposits belong to the renter.
- pluma 10y ago
  Sure, but the difference is that they actually invest it. Normally the money pretty much just sits there.
  - premium-concern 10y ago
    Given the size of the deposits, and the ROIs of available low-risk investments, does the difference really matter? Skip a single CappuFrappeGingerPumpkinLatte (or what people buy in cafes in SF) and you just got more money than any investment on the deposit can ever make.

expertentipp 10y ago

> Many landlords are happy if you want to paint the walls etc., though. Many landlords scam tenants into "refreshing" costs of the apartment. The cost of the lawyer to litigate is accidentally of the same order of magnitude as the cost of the "refreshing" so many tenants just give up (unless their daddy is a lawyer). > 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 Not in high demand areas i.e. any major city including Berlin.