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The team behind the matching platform for rental and purchase properties
Portable, PortaSplit or permanently installed? When you as a tenant need consent, what landlords have to tolerate – and why the July 2026 Federal Court of Justice ruling doesn't mean for tenants what everyone claims. With TA Lärm noise limits, running costs, winter heating, hygiene, insurance, a template letter and the landlord's perspective.
Received an own-use termination (Eigenbedarfskündigung)? This guide walks you through it from the tenant's side: who qualifies as the person with the need (§ 573 BGB), how the staggered periods really calculate (§ 573c BGB), which five formal defects topple a termination, how the hardship objection works (§ 574 BGB) – and what you can claim if the own-use need was only pretended. With an interactive deadline and formal-defect check.
Mould, a cold heater, construction noise: with a genuine defect you may reduce the rent – by operation of law, no application needed. The catch isn't the percentage, but the risk behind it: whoever cuts too much builds up rent arrears and, in the worst case, risks termination without notice. This article shows the right order (report first, then reduce), calculates from the gross rent, frames the case-law rates as ranges – and explains the safe route: paying under reservation.
A handover protocol is not required by law – but it is your most important piece of evidence. This article shows what really belongs in it at move-in and move-out, who is liable for defects (the burden of proof runs in two stages, not a blanket „the tenant
Got an increase letter? Check two things separately: the amount (the cap limit and the local comparative rent – the lower value wins) and the form (justification, text form, the double blocking period). Why a formal error voids the whole demand while an excessive amount only voids the excess – plus an interactive checker with a deadline calculator.
Got a Nebenkostenabrechnung in hand? Check it in five steps: the two 12-month deadlines kept apart, the four mandatory formal details, the 17 chargeable cost types under the BetrKV, the allocation key, and the 15% heating-cost reduction – plus an interactive plausibility checker with no file upload.
Why a floor plan belongs in every listing, how to state the living area correctly under the German WoFlV (and which mistake can cost you up to 10 % of the rent) and how to create a listing-ready floor plan for free in a few steps.
How to draw a to-scale floor plan online – free and without signing up. With the right scale, the most important symbols, a 6-step walkthrough and the criteria that tell a genuinely free tool from a paywalled one.
Reliable signs that you got the flat barely exist – but realistic timeframes, a few genuine signals and the one thing you can do better than most applicants do. Plus: when and how often to follow up the right way.
How big is the competition on the rental market really? Current numbers city by city, honestly put in context – and translated into the levers that keep you at the front despite dozens of fellow applicants.
The complete checklist for your rental application: which documents you need, what to bring when, where to get each proof – and what you may safely leave out for data-protection reasons.
A repeatable process for private landlords: pre-sort applications, build a shortlist, organise viewings cleanly (one-on-one instead of group), coordinate appointments, decline fairly – and which applicant data you must delete after letting under the GDPR.
How to write a listing that reaches the right tenants instead of producing 600 enquiries – with the GEG energy-certificate disclosures, correct pricing under the rent cap, an honest description, good photos and a realistic target group.
What you may legitimately assess as a landlord – creditworthiness, income, self-disclosure, freedom from rent arrears – and where the AGG (German equal treatment act, §§ 19, 21) and the GDPR draw hard lines: forbidden questions, the data-protection authorities' three-phase rule for documents, when a SCHUFA report is even permitted, deletion duties after a rejection, and objective criteria as protection against discrimination claims.
Which documents really belong in your application folder, what you may leave out for data-protection reasons, and which questions a landlord isn't even allowed to ask – a 2026 guide covering the Selbstauskunft, SCHUFA, the 3× cold-rent rule and the AGG.
Why trust is scarce in a tight market, how a verified profile lowers the landlord's risk – and how you protect yourself against advance-payment fraud, fake listings and identity theft. With GDPR data minimisation as your guide.
Your first message decides whether you get invited to a viewing. What belongs in it, how long it should be, which mistakes get you filtered out – plus strong vs. weak examples and two adaptable templates.
Who advertises, who screens applications, who decides – and who's allowed to see which tenant data? A practical guide for property managers, homeowners' associations, agents, and owner teams: clear roles, collaboration without duplicate work, and GDPR data protection (Art. 26, 28, 32) – with current 2025/26 sources.
Why classic filter search fails in a tight market – and how a weighted search profile built on the right criteria (location, realistic warm rent, rooms, commute time) gets you to the right home faster. With a step-by-step guide and current 2025/26 figures.
How the WOHNO plugin shows your listings natively and SEO-friendly in WordPress, why the application and applicant folder stay GDPR-safe with WOHNO, how caching, security and the four layouts work – and which pros and cons you should know before using it.
Which WordPress plugin fits your real estate business? The most in-depth comparison of seven solutions for property websites – from OpenImmo import and IDX/MLS to the WOHNO plugin. With real wordpress.org numbers, current pricing, screenshots, a comparison table, a GDPR check, and a clear recommendation by business model.
How § 573c BGB actually works: 3 months for tenants, 3/6/9 months for landlords, the infamous 'by the third working day' rule including the Saturday dispute, special termination rights on rent increases and modernization, fixed-term contracts, indexed and graduated rents, death of the tenant – plus a copy-paste template and an interactive date calculator.
When furnished letting actually pays off – with furniture premiums from 16 German cities, target groups, depreciation rules, the 2026 rent cap reform, deposit, small‑business rule, change‑of‑use rules, plus an interactive 36‑month ROI calculator.
How to calculate your rent budget properly: warm vs. cold rent, the 30% rule reality-checked, current rent indices for Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Leipzig – plus a step-by-step household plan.