mietminderung

Rent reduction for pests and vermin: court rulings and percentages

In 10 rulings in our table, courts allowed a rent reduction of 5 % to 100 %. How much depends on how far the defect restricts the use of the apartment.

Updated: October 2026 · 119 court rulings

Typical reduction by severity

Minor

10 %

median of 3 rulings

Minor infestation, single area, e.g. silverfish in bathroom

Moderate

15 %

median of 4 rulings

Significant infestation, multiple rooms, quality of life severely affected

Severe

100 %

median of 3 rulings

Massive infestation, health risk, apartment uninhabitable

Median reduction rates of the court rulings in our rent reduction table, per severity level. The figures update with every new ruling; individual cases may differ.

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10 rulings found

Defect: Pests / Vermin?

Create a free defect notice with a rent reduction demand — backed by these court rulings.

Reduce rent
DefectReductionDescription
100 %Khapra beetle infestation; apartment uninhabitable because of harmful pest-control chemicals (June–Oct 1996)
100 %Mouse plague: up to 10 mice in the living room at once
60 %Severe bedbug infestation; bringing them in with luggage counts as normal use of the apartment
25 %Severe moth infestation
20 %20–25 silverfish in the apartment, poison in the bedroom
10 %Mice and cockroaches
10 %Rats in the courtyard behind the apartment
10 %Mouse plague in a rural area (15 mice caught every day)
10 %Mice in the apartment, droppings in dishes and pots
5 %Silverfish for at least a year in the living rooms, kitchen and hallway