How to move out of an apartment in Germany

By Nicolas Bouliane

This guide explains what to do before you move out of an apartment.

End your lease

Most leases have a 3 month notice period. You must end your lease with a termination letter. An email or a text message is not enough.4

1. Calculate your notice period

When your landlord receives your termination letter.
When your notice period ends, on the last day of the month.

The standard notice period is 3 months, but it can be shorter.29 You must pay rent until the end of your notice period.

You can negotiate a shorter notice period with your landlord. They might let you move out sooner if you find another tenant, or if you pay a fee.31 If they refuse, you must pay rent until the end of your notice period.32

The notice period starts when your landlord receives your termination letter. They must receive it before the 4th working day of the month. If your letter arrives too late, your notice period starts a month later.1

Fixed-term leases can’t end early. If you signed a 1-year lease, you must stay 1 year.45 Many fixed-term leases are invalid, so you can sometimes end them with a 3 month notice. Ask an expert to check your lease.

2. Send a termination letter

Your notice period starts when your landlord receives your termination letter, not when you send it.

You must print, sign and mail the letter. An email, a text message or a fax is not enough.4 Digital signatures are not valid.2

There are 2 ways to deliver your termination letter:

  • Registered mail with proof of delivery (Einschreiben mit Rückschein)
    You get a proof of delivery with the recipient’s signature. It proves that your landlord received your termination letter on a specific date.36
  • In person
    It’s the fastest option. If you put the letter in your landlord’s mailbox, keep a proof of delivery. Take a photo or bring a witness.28

How to mail a letter

Allow apartment visits

During the notice period, your landlord can show your apartment to other people.5 They must schedule visits least 2 days in advance, or 3 days if you have a job.8 You can refuse a scheduled visit, but you must suggest another date.9

You do not need to…

  • Clean your apartment for viewings10
  • Let visitors take photos7
  • Allow more than 2 or 3 viewings per week30
  • Allow visits when you are not at home6
  • Allow unscheduled visits

Cancel or move your contracts

When you move, you can sometimes cancel your phone, internet, electricity and gas contracts. There is usually a notice period of 1 to 3 months.

If you stay in Germany

Your internet contract usually moves with you. There is usually a moving fee of €20 to €70.11 Your contract continues, but it’s not extended.37

You can end your contract with a 1 month notice if…

  • They can’t offer the same service at the same price at your new address38
  • or you move with someone who already has an internet contract12

Your landline phone contract moves with you. If you stay in the same area, you can keep the same phone number for free.13

Your mobile phone contract moves with you. You can keep the same phone number for free.14

Your electricity and gas contracts move with you. They must offer the same service at the same price at your new address.15 They can’t extend your contract.15 If they can’t provide the same service, you can cancel your contract. If you can’t use their service at your new address (different heating system, no gas connection), you can cancel your contract.16 If you move with someone who already has an electricity/gas contract, you can cancel your contract.17 Do this before you move into your new apartment.

If you leave Germany

You can cancel your phone, internet and electricity contracts with a 1 month notice.18 You can do it on the company’s website or in writing. Use aboalarm to write the termination letter.

To stop paying the TV tax, deregister on the Rundfunkbeitrag website. You can also pay someone to do it for you.

To stop paying the dog tax after you leave Berlin, deregister your dog.

How to leave Germany

Change your address

Tell everyone your new address, deregister your old address, and forward your mail to your new address.

How to change your address

Repaint the apartment

Do you need to repaint the walls? It depends on your lease. It should have a section about cosmetic repairs (Schönheitsreparaturen).

If there are no mentions of cosmetic repairs in your contract, you are lucky! Just clean the apartment and leave.33

Usually, you must return the apartment in the same state as when you moved in. You might have to repaint the walls and fixes the holes you have made.

Cosmetic repairs include:19

  • Painting the walls and the ceilings
  • Repairing holes you made in the walls
  • Painting the floors
  • Painting the radiators and heating pipes
  • Painting the interior doors and frames

Cosmetic repairs do not include:33

  • Replacing, sanding or sealing the parquet floors
  • Replacing the carpets
  • Repairing any damage that you have not caused20 (cracks in the ceilings and walls, crumbling plaster, damage from the previous tenant, etc.)

Your can’t be forced to make unnecessary repairs.21 You can’t be forced to “repaint after 3 years” or “repaint when you leave”. These clauses are not valid, and you can ignore them.22

Your lease can ask you to paint the walls in light or neutral colours. It can’t force you to use a specific colour (white) or paint type.23 For example, you don’t need to repaint your apartment from light grey to pure white.

You can do the repairs yourself. You can’t be forced to use a contractor.33 If you need help, find a Handwerker on Kleinanzeigen, TaskRabbit or Co-Tasker. Little Big Project and Driller Queens are English-speaking options.

Renovation expenses are tax-deductible.

Complete the handover

When you are ready to move out, your landlord will meet you to…

  • Inspect the apartment
  • Take your apartment keys
  • Read the electricity meter
  • Sign the handover document (Übergabeprotokoll)

This meeting – the Wohnungsübergabe – is very important. Always be there when it happens. Take a lot of photos. If you can, bring a witness. You can even bring a lawyer with you.34

Return the keys

You must give your apartment keys back to your landlord. There should be as many keys as when you moved in. If you made copies of your keys, you must give back all the copies too.

Read the electricity meter

You must read the electricity meter when you move in and when you move out. Your electricity company needs this information when you cancel or move your electricity contract. They will know exactly how much electricity you have used. If you paid too much, you will get a refund. If you didn’t pay enough, you will get an invoice.

Meter reading on a German electricity meter

Write down the meter number (Zählernummer) and meter reading (Zählerstand) in the handover document (Übergabeprotokoll).

Tell your electricity company about your moving date. Do this before you move. You can usually do this on their website.

Sign the Über­g­a­be­pro­to­koll

You will fill a handover document (Übergabeprotokoll) with your landlord. It describes the condition of the apartment, and what must be repaired.34

Übergabeprotokoll template – ImmobilenScout24

Always make a handover document.43 If your landlord repairs something that is not in this document, you don’t have to pay for it. If it’s not in the Übergabeprotokoll, it’s not your problem.44 It helps you get your deposit back faster.

Move your things

Find cardboard boxes

You can find cardboard boxes…

  • Online
    Buy new boxes from Zapf, Karton.eu and U-Karton. Zapf makes good quality boxes.35
  • In a hardware store (Baumarkt)
    Buy new boxes from Bauhaus, Hellweg, and other hardware stores.
  • In stores
    Get free used boxes from stores near you. You just need to ask nicely.
  • On Kleinanzeigen
    Buy used boxes from other people. It’s much cheaper than new boxes.
  • From the moving company
    If you hire a moving company, they can give or sell you boxes.

Hire a moving company

A moving company helps you pack boxes, disassemble furniture, save a parking space (Halteverbot), hire movers, and change your address. It costs €600 to €2,000, but it’s worth it.24 The price depend on how much furniture you have, and how hard it is to move the furniture.40

If you don’t have many things to move, hire a “man with a van”. They are usually cheaper than a moving company. You can find them on Kleinanzeigen. Möbel Taxi is a popular option.

International moves are more expensive. Shipping and customs can be complicated. If you move to America or Asia, it’s often cheaper to sell everything and buy it again.

Zapf is often recommended.25 Smoovers can also book movers for you and they speak English. Check24 helps you find a mover.

Your contract should say who pays for the damages the movers cause.39 For example, what happens if they scratch the walls while they move your couch? Most moving companies have insurance for this. The movers on Kleinanzeigen are might not have insurance.

Rent a moving truck

Moving trucks are much cheaper than moving companies, but you must move the furniture yourself. Miles is a car sharing service that rents vans.

You must park the truck somewhere while you load your things. To reserve a parking spot (Halteverbot), you must get permission from the Bezirksamt.26 This takes around 4 weeks.27 A service like halteverbotszonen.com can do it for you.

Most people just hold a parking spot with their car until the moving truck arrives.41 You can also use your building’s underground parking.

Sell or donate your things

Get rid of the things you don’t need. The best options are Kleinanzeigen and Facebook groups.

How to buy, sell and donate things

Get rid of furniture and appliances

Sell or donate your old furniture. If no one wants it, you can’t leave it on the street. You must ask BSR to pick it up (for a fee) or bring it to one of their recycling centres.

How to recycle furniture and appliances

Get your deposit back

Some time after you move out, you will get your deposit (Kaution) back. It can take a few weeks, often up to 6 months, and never more than 12 months.

How to get your deposit back

Your landlord can use your Kaution to repair things that you broke. For example, your landlord can pay to fix holes in the walls. Landlords often try to use your Kaution for repairs that you should not pay for.

If your landlord tries to scam you, get help from your tenants’ association or a lawyer. If you have legal insurance, it will cover the cost of a lawyer.

Where to get help

Get a Miet­schul­den­frei­heits­be­schei­ni­gung

Get a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung from your landlord. It confirms that you have no debt to your landlord. You might need it to apply for an apartment. Your landlord can refuse to give you one, or charge a fee for it.46

If you live in a WG, you can also get a letter from your roommates to confirm that you always paid your rent on time.42

Your landlord can refuse to give you a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung. Some landlords charge around €50 for it.3

Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung template

Checklist

If you are moving to another country, see the checklist for leaving Germany.

What to do next

Need help?

Where to ask apartment questions

Sources and footnotes

  1. § 573c Abs. 1 BGB, mieterengel.de, wunderflats.com (September 2025) ⤴

  2. erste-hausverwaltung.de (2023) ⤴

  3. berliner-mieterverein.de, homeday.de, reddit.com, reddit.com ⤴

  4. § 568 BGB, § 126 BGB, deurag.de, promietrecht.de, wunderflats.com (September 2025), mietrecht.org (2013) ⤴

  5. mietrecht.de ⤴

  6. mietrecht.de ⤴

  7. kanzleimauss.de (2025), mietrechtsiegen.de (February 2026) ⤴

  8. mietrecht.de, berliner-mieterverein.de (2014) ⤴

  9. mietrecht.de, kanzleimauss.de (2025) ⤴

  10. mietrecht.de ⤴

  11. dslweb.de ⤴

  12. verbraucherzentrale.de ⤴

  13. verbraucherzentrale.de ⤴

  14. verbraucherzentrale.de ⤴

  15. verbraucherzentrale.de ⤴

  16. verbraucherzentrale.de ⤴

  17. verbraucherzentrale.de ⤴

  18. vzhh.de, verbraucherzentrale.de ⤴

  19. berliner-mieterverein.de, mieterschutzbund-berlin.de ⤴

  20. mieterschutzbund-berlin.de ⤴

  21. berliner-mieterverein.de, mieterschutzbund-berlin.de, mieterschutzbund-berlin.de ⤴

  22. mieterschutzbund-berlin.de ⤴

  23. mieterschutzbund-berlin.de ⤴

  24. Jonathan Wooddin from Smoovers (January 2023), Twitter (July 2025) ⤴

  25. zapf.de, reddit.com/r/berlin, reddit.com/r/berlin ⤴

  26. berliner-woche.de, bussgeldkatalog.org ⤴

  27. berlin.de, berlin.de, halteverbot-berlin24.de ⤴

  28. iv-mieterschutz.de (February 2025) ⤴

  29. § 573c Abs. 1 BGB, § 573c Abs. 4 BGB ⤴

  30. kanzleimauss.de (2025) ⤴

  31. mietrecht.org (2013), mietrecht.org (2013), homeday.de ⤴

  32. mietrecht.org (2013), berliner-mieterverein.de (2014) ⤴

  33. berliner-mieterverein.de ⤴

  34. mieterengel.de ⤴

  35. reddit.com/r/berlin ⤴

  36. wunderflats.de (September 2025), Finanztip (October 2025), iv-mieterschutz.de (February 2026), mietrechtsiegen.de (February 2026) ⤴

  37. § 60 Abs. 1 TKG ⤴

  38. § 60 Abs. 2 TKG, Telekom (January 2026), deurag.de (January 2026) ⤴

  39. Jonathan Wooddin from Smoovers (January 2023) ⤴

  40. Jonathan Wooddin from Smoovers (January 2023) ⤴

  41. Jonathan Wooddin from Smoovers (January 2023) ⤴

  42. reddit.com ⤴

  43. sueddeutsche.de ⤴

  44. mietkautionsbuergschaft.de ⤴

  45. § 542 Abs. 2 BGB, wunderflats.com (September 2025), tp-rechtsanwaelte.de (May 2022), immobilienscout24.de (December 2025) ⤴

  46. erste-hausverwaltung.de (May 2025) ⤴