GermanyWhat is the maximum legal rent increase in Germany?
In Germany, rent can generally be increased by no more than 20% within three years — or 15% in areas with acute housing shortages — and only if the current rent has remained unchanged for at least 15 months.
What the Law Says
German law strictly limits how much and how often a landlord can raise rent during an ongoing tenancy. These limits protect tenants from sudden or excessive increases and ensure fairness based on local market conditions.
The main rule is found in BGB § 558: a landlord may request a rent increase only up to the 'local comparative rent' (ortsübliche Vergleichsmiete) — the typical rent charged in the area for similar apartments — and only if the current rent has stayed the same for at least 15 months.
Even when justified by local market rates, the increase is capped: within any three-year period, the total rent hike (excluding modernization-based or index-linked increases) cannot exceed 20%. This is called the 'cap limit' (Kappungsgrenze). In municipalities officially designated as facing acute housing shortages, the cap drops to 15%.
Additionally, landlords must wait at least one full year after a previous rent increase before issuing another formal request — even if the 15-month unchanged-rent condition is met earlier.
Rent increases by agreement (e.g., stepped or index-linked rents) are allowed under separate rules (BGB §§ 557a–557b), but those do not override the statutory caps unless explicitly permitted and properly structured.
Statutory TextBei Erhöhungen nach Absatz 1 darf sich die Miete innerhalb von drei Jahren, von Erhöhungen nach den §§ 559 bis 560 abgesehen, nicht um mehr als 20 vom Hundert erhöhen (Kappungsgrenze). Der Prozentsatz nach Satz 1 beträgt 15 vom Hundert, wenn die ausreichende Versorgung der Bevölkerung mit Mietwohnungen zu angemessenen Bedingungen in einer Gemeinde oder einem Teil einer Gemeinde besonders gefährdet ist und diese Gebiete nach Satz 3 bestimmt sind.
— BGB § 558(3) — German Civil Code
Statutory TextDer Vermieter kann die Zustimmung zu einer Erhöhung der Miete bis zur ortsüblichen Vergleichsmiete verlangen, wenn die Miete in dem Zeitpunkt, zu dem die Erhöhung eintreten soll, seit 15 Monaten unverändert ist. Das Mieterhöhungsverlangen kann frühestens ein Jahr nach der letzten Mieterhöhung geltend gemacht werden.
— BGB § 558(1) — German Civil Code
What Courts Have Said
German courts clarify how rent increase rules apply in practice — especially when calculating what counts toward the 'local comparative rent'.
When determining the local comparative rent, a parking space rented together with the apartment must be valued separately — it cannot be bundled into the apartment’s base rent figure used for comparison. This ensures fair and transparent benchmarking.
What to Do
Check whether your rent has been unchanged for at least 15 months — this is required before any statutory rent increase can be proposed.
Verify that the requested increase does not exceed the 20% (or 15%) cap over the past three years — ask your landlord for written justification referencing comparable apartments.
If the landlord cites the local comparative rent, request the data source (e.g., official rent index or qualified expert opinion) and confirm whether any extras (like parking) were correctly excluded from the calculation.
Respond in writing within two months if you object — silence may be interpreted as consent under German law.
Sources
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US-CaliforniaNot legal advice. This article is general information based on publicly available sources, written for educational purposes. Laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting on anything you read here. Last reviewed: June 2026.