Rent Reduction Letter in Germany: Free Template in German
Published on October 12, 2026
With a rent reduction letter, you tell your landlord by how much you are reducing the rent because of a defect. The reduction itself happens by law (Section 536 of the German Civil Code, BGB). The letter makes sure the landlord knows why less money is coming in – and lets you prove later what you told them.
First, the landlord must know about the defect. If you haven't told them yet, send a defect notice (template) first. Write both letters in German; the templates below come with an English translation.
Template: rent reduction letter (in German)
Replace the parts in [square brackets]
[Vorname Nachname]
[Straße Hausnummer]
[PLZ Ort]
[Vermieter oder Hausverwaltung]
[Straße Hausnummer]
[PLZ Ort]
[Ort], [Datum]
Mietminderung wegen [Mangel] – Wohnung [Straße Hausnummer, Etage, Lage]
Meine Mängelanzeige vom [Datum]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
mit Schreiben vom [Datum der Mängelanzeige] habe ich Ihnen folgenden Mangel angezeigt: [kurze Beschreibung des Mangels]. Der Mangel ist bis heute nicht beseitigt.
Der Mangel beeinträchtigt die Nutzung der Wohnung erheblich. Die Miete ist deshalb nach § 536 Abs. 1 BGB kraft Gesetzes gemindert. Ich mindere die Miete ab dem [Datum der Mängelanzeige] um [X] % der Bruttomiete. Bei einer Bruttomiete von [Betrag] € sind das [Betrag] € im Monat; bis zur Beseitigung des Mangels zahle ich daher monatlich [Betrag] €.
Die Rückforderung der seit dem [Datum der Mängelanzeige] zu viel gezahlten Miete behalte ich mir vor.
Bitte beseitigen Sie den Mangel bis zum [Datum]. Sobald er vollständig behoben ist, zahle ich wieder die volle Miete. Weitere Rechte, insbesondere auf Schadensersatz nach § 536a BGB, behalte ich mir vor.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Unterschrift]
[Vorname Nachname]
English translation
[First name Last name]
[Street and number]
[Postcode, city]
[Landlord or property management]
[Street and number]
[Postcode, city]
[City], [date]
Rent reduction due to [defect] – apartment [street and number, floor, position]
My notice of defect dated [date]
Dear Sir or Madam,
In my letter of [date of the notice of defect] I notified you of the following defect: [short description of the defect]. The defect has still not been repaired.
The defect considerably impairs the use of the apartment. The rent is therefore reduced by law under Section 536(1) BGB. I am reducing the rent by [X] % of the gross rent from [date of the notice of defect]. With a gross rent of [amount] €, that is [amount] € per month; until the defect has been repaired, I will therefore pay [amount] € per month.
I reserve the right to reclaim the rent overpaid since [date of the notice of defect].
Please repair the defect by [date]. As soon as it has been fully remedied, I will pay the full rent again. I reserve further rights, in particular to damages under Section 536a BGB.
Yours faithfully
[Signature]
[First name Last name]
Prefer a finished letter?
Answer a few questions in English – we write the letter in German with your details, free as a PDF.
Reduce rent →How much? What courts have allowed
The rate depends on how much the defect impairs the use of the apartment. These values are medians of the rulings in our rent reduction table, by severity. Click a defect to see the individual rulings.
| Defect | Minor | Moderate | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating / Hot Water | 10 % | 25 % | 73 % |
| Water Damage / Moisture | 8 % | 23 % | 80 % |
| Mold | 10 % | 23 % | 78 % |
| Noise | 8 % | 20 % | 40 % |
| Power / Gas Outage | 8 % | 20 % | 100 % |
| Pests / Vermin | 10 % | 15 % | 100 % |
| Elevator | 6 % | 10 % | 20 % |
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.
To work out the amount in euros, use the rent reduction calculator.
Reduced from which rent – and from when?
- The basis is the gross rent (Bruttomiete, also called Warmmiete): the rent including all service charges, whether paid in advance or as a flat rate (Federal Court of Justice, BGH, judgment of 6 April 2005 – XII ZR 225/03).
- From when: the rent is reduced for as long as the defect exists. But you cannot reduce it for a period in which the landlord didn't know about the defect and therefore couldn't repair it (Section 536c(2) BGB). So count from the day your defect notice reached the landlord.
- Until when: until the defect has been fully repaired. After that, you pay the full rent again.
The safe option: pay under reservation
If you are not sure how high the reduction may be, keep paying the full rent for now – but under reservation ("unter Vorbehalt"). Once the amount is clear, you reclaim what you overpaid. This way you never fall into arrears and still don't lose money.
Replace the parts in [square brackets]
[Vorname Nachname]
[Straße Hausnummer]
[PLZ Ort]
[Vermieter oder Hausverwaltung]
[Straße Hausnummer]
[PLZ Ort]
[Ort], [Datum]
Zahlung der Miete unter Vorbehalt – Wohnung [Straße Hausnummer, Etage, Lage]
Meine Mängelanzeige vom [Datum]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
mit Schreiben vom [Datum der Mängelanzeige] habe ich Ihnen folgenden Mangel angezeigt: [kurze Beschreibung des Mangels]. Der Mangel ist bis heute nicht beseitigt.
Die Miete ist deshalb nach § 536 Abs. 1 BGB kraft Gesetzes gemindert. Bis zur Beseitigung des Mangels zahle ich die Miete weiter in voller Höhe, jedoch nur unter dem Vorbehalt der Rückforderung. Den zu viel gezahlten Betrag werde ich zurückfordern.
Bitte beseitigen Sie den Mangel bis zum [Datum].
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Unterschrift]
[Vorname Nachname]
English translation
[First name Last name]
[Street and number]
[Postcode, city]
[Landlord or property management]
[Street and number]
[Postcode, city]
[City], [date]
Payment of rent under reservation – apartment [street and number, floor, position]
My notice of defect dated [date]
Dear Sir or Madam,
In my letter of [date of the notice of defect] I notified you of the following defect: [short description of the defect]. The defect has still not been repaired.
The rent is therefore reduced by law under Section 536(1) BGB. Until the defect has been repaired, I will continue to pay the full rent, but only under reservation of my right to reclaim it. I will reclaim the amount overpaid.
Please repair the defect by [date].
Yours faithfully
[Signature]
[First name Last name]
Common mistakes
- Reducing too much. The difference to the appropriate rate counts as rent arrears and can lead to termination – more in Reduced your rent too much?
- Stopping payment altogether. A 100 % reduction is only justified if the apartment cannot be used at all.
- Reducing without a defect notice. As long as the landlord doesn't know about the defect because you haven't reported it, you cannot reduce the rent.
- Not ending the reduction. Once the defect has been repaired, you owe the full rent again from that day.
Do you have a rental defect?
Create a free letter to your landlord now and demand defect remediation or rent reduction.
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