Do I have to agree to the rent increase?

Not automatically. If the demand is formally valid and the new rent is in line with local rents, the landlord is entitled to your consent – but formal errors or an exceeded capping limit can render the demand invalid.

What is the capping limit?

The rent may rise by no more than 20 % within three years (§ 558 Abs. 3 BGB) – in many municipalities, under a state ordinance, by only 15 %. We list whether your municipality is affected as a checkpoint.

What happens if I simply do not respond?

Once the consent period has expired, the landlord can bring an action for consent within three months. Not responding is therefore no solution – a reasoned objection or partial consent is usually the better course.

Do I have a special right of termination?

Yes – following an increase under §§ 558, 559 BGB, you can give extraordinary notice until the end of the second month after receipt, effective at the end of the month after next (§ 561 BGB).

Consumers · Rent increase

Received a rent increase – check it instead of simply agreeing

Form, justification, capping limit and your consent deadline – checked in plain language, with a ready-made reply letter.

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Quick check: what should you do?

3 short questions — no sign-up required.

Is the landlord already threatening legal action, or has an action been filed?

Is the increase justified by a modernization (§ 559 BGB)?

Has the consent period (end of the 2nd month after receipt) almost expired?

Deadline at a glance

Until the end of the 2nd month after receipt

§ 558b Abs. 2 BGB

You have until the end of the second calendar month after receipt to decide whether to consent. If you do not consent, the landlord can bring an action for consent within a further three months (§ 558b Abs. 2 BGB).

It is an AI, not a person: nobody looks at your individual case, and we do not know who signs up or for what reason. That is why we give pointers, but no legal advice on the individual case. Guidelines and playbooks in the platform are only guardrails: the AI relies on the available sources and your information. AI can make mistakes — check important results, and if in doubt, ask a lawyer.

What you can do here in 5 minutes

A rent increase up to the local comparative rent (ortsübliche Vergleichsmiete) is subject to strict rules: text form with a justification (§ 558a BGB), a one-year waiting period and a capping limit (Kappungsgrenze) of 20 % within three years (15 % in many cities). You do not have to respond immediately – but you should know the deadline.

Upload the rent increase letter – our AI tools check the formal requirements, recalculate the capping limit and, if you wish, draft a reply or objection letter.

How it works

Results in three steps

Upload the letter

The rent increase demand as a PDF or photo.

Review

Form (§ 558a BGB), type of justification, waiting period, capping limit, deadline calculation.

Prepare a reply

Consent, partial consent or a reasoned objection as a ready-made letter.

What you get

Upload the letter – The rent increase demand as a PDF or photo.
Review – Form (§ 558a BGB), type of justification, waiting period, capping limit, deadline calculation.
Prepare a reply – Consent, partial consent or a reasoned objection as a ready-made letter.

What it is not

No binding determination of the local comparative rent – only an expert report or a court can do that.
No review of graduated or index-linked rents or modernization increases (§ 559 BGB) in this process – there is a separate check for that.
No court representation in proceedings for consent.

FAQ

Common questions about this case

Transparency

What the AI checks — and what only a lawyer can decide

An AI is only as good as the question. We show openly where your answer is reliable and where you should speak with a lawyer.

If the landlord threatens or files an action for consent, in the case of graduated or index-linked rent or an increase following modernization, or if a notice of termination is on the table at the same time.

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