Rachel

Landlord refused to give back our deposit

Before moving out, the landlord insisted that we remove the wallpaper. Even after we explained that we had never put up any wallpaper, he still referred to the contract and insisted that, regardless of who installed it, we were responsible for removing it. During this time, he frequently showed the apartment to prospective tenants. We spent considerable time, effort, and money on removal, only to later confirm that it was not wallpaper but painted walls left by previous tenants. Nevertheless, at the handover, the landlord demanded that we pay high repair costs and used this as a reason to withhold our deposit. Do we have anyone here with related experience or knowledge on the rights of tenants? Should we pay the repair costs?

4 Comments

Reply (4)

Rachel

auf Deutsch: Vor dem Auszug bestand der Vermieter darauf, dass wir die Tapeten entfernen. Obwohl wir ihm erklärten, dass wir niemals Tapeten angebracht hatten, berief er sich weiterhin auf den Mietvertrag und verlangte, dass wir sie unabhängig von deren Ursprung entfernen müssten. In dieser Zeit führte er mehrfach Besichtigungen mit Interessenten durch. Wir investierten erheblichen Aufwand, Zeit und Kosten in die Entfernung, bis sich schließlich herausstellte, dass es sich nicht um Tapeten, sondern um von früheren Mietern gestrichene Wände handelte. Dennoch verlangte der Vermieter bei der Wohnungsübergabe von uns hohe Renovierungskosten und behielt aus diesem Grund die Kaution ein. Könnte Jemand, der Erfahrungen oder Wissen hat, uns sagen, ob wir die Reparaturkosten bezahlen sollten?

AnnaGapa_volunteer

Hi! I’m not a lawyer, but I can share what I know. First rule when you rent a flat - have everything documented! Everything has to be stated in the Mietvertrag. So, look into that again, maybe there is some mention of your responsibility for repairs that you have signed for. Tenants are not responsible for previous tenants’ work (like wallpaper or paint done before you moved in).

If the walls were already painted by someone else, you don’t have to pay for their removal or repainting. The landlord must prove that you caused the damage. Otherwise, withholding your full deposit is not lawful.

If needed, you can go to a local Mietverein (tenants’ association, look for one locally) – they give legal advice and can even write letters for you.

Good luck, and don’t give up!

Ida_volunteer

Hi @Rachel ! Alongside what Anna said, you can check out the Renter's Association's in Germany: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenant_associations_in_Germany - They can guide you further in how to push back.

Rachel

Thank you for your answers. By removing the painted walls, it is not avoidable to damage the walls. But it is the Landlord told us that is wallpaper on the walls which are later proved to be painted Walls.

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