mietminderung

Rent Reduction Court Rulings in Germany: How Much Is Fair?

Published on March 13, 2026

How Do German Courts Decide on Rent Reduction?

There is no fixed catalog prescribing the amount of a Mietminderung (rent reduction) in Germany. Each case is assessed individually. However, the following rulings provide good guidance on what reduction rates courts consider appropriate for typical defects. A quick note on the abbreviations: AG stands for Amtsgericht (local court) and LG for Landgericht (regional court), followed by the city and the case number – this is how German court decisions are cited.

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How Much Rent Reduction for Mold and Moisture?

  • AG Schöneberg, 10.04.2008 – 109 C 256/07 (WuM 2008, 477): 10% rent reduction for mold in the bathroom on the north-facing exterior wall
  • AG Osnabrück, 10.10.2013 – 48 C 31/12 (5) (WuM 2014, 137): 20% rent reduction for moisture and mold in living room, bedroom, and kitchen with musty odor
  • LG Hamburg, 31.01.2008 – 307 S 144/07 (ZMR 2008, 456): 50% rent reduction for significant mold infestation in the living room; 60% of living space affected
  • AG Charlottenburg, 09.07.2007 – 203 C 607/06: 100% rent reduction – health hazard from toxic mold spores; children required emergency treatment

See also our full guide on mold in a rental apartment in Germany.

How Much Rent Reduction for Heating Failure?

  • AG Potsdam, 30.04.2012 – 23 C 236/10 (WuM 2012, 670): 10% rent reduction for room temperature repeatedly below 20°C
  • AG Frankfurt a.M., 28.10.2011 – 33 C 588/11-76: 25% rent reduction for repeated heating failure over the Christmas holidays
  • LG Berlin, 10.01.1992 – 64 S 291/91 (GE 1993, 263): 75% rent reduction for total heating failure from November to February
  • LG Hamburg, 15.05.1975 – 7 O 80/74 (WuM 1976, 10): 100% rent reduction for oil heating failure during winter months

How Much Rent Reduction for Noise?

  • LG Berlin, 06.02.2015 – 63 S 236/14: 10% rent reduction for permanent neighbor noise – arguing, screaming, banging, stomping, and door slamming
  • AG Regensburg, 16.04.1991 – 4 C 275/91 (WuM 1992, 476): 20% rent reduction for construction noise from a major building site on the neighboring property
  • LG Berlin, 05.08.2002 – 67 S 342/01 (MM 2003, 46): 40% rent reduction for noise from two restaurants on the ground floor from 10 PM to 4 AM
  • AG Braunschweig, 03.08.1989 – 113 C 168/89 (9) (WuM 1990, 147): 50% rent reduction for excessively loud music from a neighbor; glasses vibrated in the cabinet

More on this topic: noisy neighbors and your tenant rights in Germany.

How Much Rent Reduction for Water Damage?

  • LG Berlin, 21.07.2006 – 65 S 347/05 (MM 2007, 39): 10% rent reduction for water damage in the bathroom
  • AG Wedding, 11.02.2014 – 14 C 355/12: 25% rent reduction – kitchen of a 4-room apartment unusable after water damage
  • AG Paderborn, 29.06.2021 – 54 C 20/21: 40% rent reduction for water damage in the bathroom, damp walls, and months of drying equipment use
  • AG Potsdam, 15.06.1995 – 26 C 533/93 (WuM 1995, 534): 100% rent reduction for damp walls and ceilings, rat infestation, and mold – apartment uninhabitable

See also: what to do after water damage in a German rental.

How Much Rent Reduction for Power and Utility Outages?

  • AG Köln, 24.04.1995 – 206 C 251/94 (WuM 1996, 701): 7.5% rent reduction for lack of hot water supply between 10 PM and 7 AM
  • LG Berlin, 04.06.1993 – 64 T 69/93 (GE 1993, 861): 50% rent reduction – gas supply cut off, heating and hot water failure
  • AG Berlin-Neukölln, 20.10.1987 – 15 C 23/87 (MM 1988, 151): 100% rent reduction for total electrical failure after cable fire – no light, no hot water, no stove

How Much Rent Reduction for Pest Infestation?

  • AG Aachen, 19.04.2000 – 5 C 5/00 (WuM 2000, 379): 10% rent reduction for rats in the courtyard behind the apartment
  • AG Stuttgart, 30.03.2021 – 35 C 5509/19: 60% rent reduction for significant bed bug infestation
  • AG Berlin-Tempelhof/Kreuzberg, 06.11.2013 – 15 C 60/13: 70% rent reduction for massive cockroach infestation – up to 30 cockroaches per day per room
  • AG Aachen, 03.12.1998 – 80 C 569/97 (WuM 1999, 457): 100% rent reduction for massive Khapra beetle infestation; health-hazardous pesticides made the apartment uninhabitable

How Much Rent Reduction for Elevator Failure?

  • AG Tempelhof-Kreuzberg, 15.01.2014 – 2 C 207/13: 3% rent reduction for elevator failure on the 2nd floor
  • AG Berlin-Mitte, 03.05.2007 – 10 C 3/07: 15% rent reduction for 16-day elevator failure on the 6th floor
  • AG München, 29.09.2015 – 425 C 11160/15 (ZMR 2016, 466): 50% rent reduction – elevator removed, 100% severely disabled tenant on the 4th floor

What Can Tenants Learn from German Case Law?

  • No fixed table values: Reduction tables found online are only guidelines – every case is different
  • Burden of proof on the landlord: For mold, the landlord must prove that the tenant caused the defect
  • Total gross rent: The reduction applies to the gross warm rent (Warmmiete – rent including utilities and heating), not just the base rent
  • Time frame: The reduction applies for the entire duration of the defect – not just for individual days

Before reducing your rent, you must notify your landlord of the defect in writing – and that letter should be in German. Our service generates a legally correct German defect notice for you. Create defect notice →

All listed rulings are verified and sourced from publicly accessible court databases. Each individual case is assessed by courts on its own merits – the information serves as guidance.

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