mietminderung

Court Rulings on Rent Reduction – Overview

Published on March 13, 2026

How Courts Decide on Rent Reduction

There is no fixed catalog prescribing the amount of rent reduction. Each case is assessed individually. However, the following rulings provide good guidance on what reduction rates courts consider appropriate for typical defects.

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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

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

Noise Disturbance

  • 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

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

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

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

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

Key Principles from 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, including utilities
  • Time frame: The reduction applies for the entire duration of the defect – not just for individual days
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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