Move-out handover record for a rented flat (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The record a landlord and tenant in Germany sign when the tenant hands back a rented flat: meter readings for the final bill, every key returned, the condition of each room, the damage the landlord points out beside the tenant's comments on it, anything agreed, and the tenant's new address and account for the deposit. The handover date matters: under § 548 of the German Civil Code (BGB), the landlord's claims for changes to or deterioration of the flat lapse six months after it is returned. In German, to print, fill in together and sign by both sides.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Landlord
- Tenant
- Address of the property
- Where the flat is in the building (e.g. 2nd floor left, flat 7)
- Date of the contract
- End date of the contract
- Handover date
- Time of handover
- Witnesses (names and phone numbers)
- Correspondence address
- Electricity meter reading
- Gas meter reading
- Cold water meter reading
- Hot water meter reading
- Heating meter reading
- Keys to the building and flat door (number)
- Mailbox keys (number)
- Keys to the cellar, loft or bike room (number)
- Other keys, chips or cards (kind and number)
- Condition: hall, entrance, storeroom
- Condition: living room
- Condition: bedroom
- Condition: other rooms
- Condition: kitchen
- Condition: bathroom and WC
- Condition: balcony, cellar, loft
- Damage the landlord points out
- Tenant's comments on that damage
- What both sides agree about damage, keys or the deposit
- Deposit amount
- IBAN
- Number of photos attached
- City
- Date
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- How long can a landlord in Germany claim for damage after the flat is handed back?
- Claims for changes to or deterioration of the flat lapse six months after the landlord gets it back (§ 548(1) BGB), which is why the record notes the date. According to the Federal Court of Justice, the landlord may still set such claims off against the deposit after the six months if set-off was possible before they lapsed (§ 215 BGB; BGH VIII ZR 184/23 of 10 July 2024).
- Must a tenant in Germany put right ordinary wear and tear when moving out?
- No. Changes or deterioration caused by using the flat as the lease allows are not the tenant's responsibility (§ 538 BGB). Whether redecoration is owed depends on a valid clause in the lease; if the flat was handed over unrenovated, a standard-form clause may not shift redecoration to the tenant without fair compensation (BGH VIII ZR 185/14).
- What if landlord and tenant in Germany disagree about damage when the flat is handed back?
- Both views go into the record: the damage the landlord points out, and next to it the tenant's comments. Signing confirms what was found on the walk-through, not a duty to pay for it. Take photos and note every visible defect; whether leaving something out bars a later claim depends on the circumstances.
- Why do the new address and meter readings belong in a move-out record in Germany?
- The landlord needs both for the bills that follow the move: the service-charge statement must be issued within twelve months of the end of the billing period, and objections must reach the landlord within twelve months of receiving it (§ 556(3) BGB). The deposit is settled separately, and the new address and account in the record make sure both arrive.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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