Power Outage in Your Rental: Your Right to a Rent Reduction

In January 2026, around 45,000 households in Berlin were without electricity for up to four days. Many tenants are unaware: in such cases, you have the right to reduce your rent – even if the landlord did not cause the outage.

What to Do During a Power Outage

1. Document immediately – Note the time of the outage and restoration. Take a timestamped photo, save the grid operator's outage report, and log the temperature in your apartment if possible.
2. Notify your landlord in writing – Even if the landlord didn't cause the outage, you must notify them. This is a prerequisite for your right to a rent reduction (§ 536c BGB). Create defect notice →
3. Secure evidence of consequential damage – Photograph spoiled food and keep receipts (hotel bills, heater rental, etc.). These may be relevant for damages claims.
4. Reduce rent or pay under reservation – You can reduce the rent directly. If you want to be safe, pay the full rent under reservation and reclaim the difference afterwards. For a clear, documented outage, a direct reduction is also legally permissible.

Berlin Blackout January 2026 – What Was Affected

In winter temperatures, not only lights and electrical appliances failed, but also:

• Heating: Many gas and district heating systems require electricity for pumps and controls
• Hot water: Without electricity, no circulation and no electronic ignition
• Elevators: Completely out of service in apartment buildings
• Phone and internet: Landlines and partly mobile networks were disrupted

Not only the power outage itself, but also the consequential failures (heating, hot water) are independent rental defects – each justifies a reduction on its own.

What Rent Reduction Is Possible?

• Short-term power outage (few hours): Generally no right to reduction – considered a minor defect
• Power outage over 24 hours: Approx. 10–20% rent reduction, depending on season and circumstances
• Multi-day outage with heating failure in winter: Approx. 50–100% rent reduction – the apartment is effectively uninhabitable
• Complete uninhabitability: Up to 100% rent reduction for the entire period

Calculate your individual rent reduction →

Rent Reduction vs. Damages – The Difference

The law distinguishes two different claims with different requirements:

Rent reduction (§ 536 BGB) takes effect automatically as soon as a significant defect exists – regardless of whether the landlord is at fault. If the power goes out, the rent is reduced by operation of law. The landlord doesn't have to accept it, but the burden of proof lies with them.

Damages (§ 536a BGB), on the other hand, requires that the landlord is at fault for the defect or is in default on remediation. In a blackout caused by an external grid operator fault – which the landlord cannot control – there is generally no damages claim against the landlord. However, damages may apply if the landlord failed to fix a known electrical installation weakness that caused the outage.

Nonetheless, keep all receipts for damages: hotel bills for uninhabitability, costs for spoiled food, rented heaters. If the landlord is at fault, these receipts are valuable evidence.

Legal Basis

A functioning power supply is part of the contractual use of a rental apartment. If the power goes out, a defect under § 536 BGB exists. The right to a rent reduction does not require the landlord to be at fault – the only thing that matters is that the apartment cannot be used as agreed.

The landlord may in turn pursue recourse claims against the grid operator or the party responsible – but this does not affect your right to a rent reduction.