Distinguishing German Residential and Commercial Tenancy Law: Are Tenant and Landlord in an Equal Position?
Abstract
The German housing market, particularly in major cities, is very tight. This situation makes Tenancy Law the issue that has attracted the most attention in local and federal elections. This article presents and illustrates various methods of protecting the individual parties to a lease contract. Besides, it highlights the differences between Residential Tenancy Law and Commercial Tenancy Law and explains why legislation distinguishes between these two types of tenancies. This research establishes arguments and interpretations from relevant laws and regulations, including the German Civil Code and German General Equal Treatment Act, and judicial decisions that clarified the legal relations between tenants and landlords. This article concludes that Tenancy Law in Germany distinguishes in different ways between Residential Tenancy Law and Commercial Tenancy Law from legal, social, and economic perspectives. It also infers that the provisions stipulated in German Tenancy Law protect the tenant's right while remaining attractive for landlords to offer the house(s) for rent.
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References
Book
Emmerich, Volker. Mietrecht: Kommentar zu den mietrechtlichen Vorschriften des Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuches und zum Zweiten Wohnraumkündigungsschutzgesetz Die Miete als Schuldverhältnis. Berlin: J. Schweizer Verlag, 1981.
Klaner, Andreas. Ratgeber Mietrecht: Mehr wissen - Recht bekommen. Berlin, Humbolds: Verlag GmbH, 2006.
Journal Article
Braeuer F, Kleinebrahm M and Naber E. “Effects of the Tenants Electricity Law on Energy System Layout and Landlord-Tenant Relationship in a Multi-Family Building in Germany.” IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 323 (2019): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/323/1/012168
Blawat, Magdalena. “The Court’s Interference with Contracts by Supplying and Converting the Contractual Terms.” Utrecht Law Review 18, no. 1 (2022): 76–92. https://doi.org/10.36633/ulr.759
Buletsa, Sibilla and Piotr Zakrzewski. “Limitation of Claims in Polish and Ukrainian Civil Code against the Background of the Principles of European Contract Law and the German Civil Code.” Journal of Legal Studies 24, no.38 (2019): 63-94. https://doi.org/10.2478/jles-2019-0010
Deakin, Simon. “Private Law and the New Social Question.” German Law Journal 23 (2022): 862–871 https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2022.50
Eller, Klaas Hendrik. “Comparative Genealogies of “Contract and Society.” German Law Journal 21, no. 7 (2020): 1393-1410. https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2020.84
Flume, Johannes W. “Strict Liability in Austrian and German Law: On the Concept of Strict Liability in the Age of Technological Advancement.” Journal of European Tort Law 12, no. 3 (2021): 205-220. https://doi.org/10.1515/jetl-2021-0012
Hedley, Steve. “Private Law Theory: The State of the Art.” School of Law, Áras na Laoi, University College Cork (2021): 1-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3917777
Harborth, Thomas. “Housing in Germany - A Case Study in the Light of Government Guidelines.” Ekonomika a Management, Prague University of Economics and Business 2 (2012): 5-17.
Herbots, Jacques Henri. “The Chinese New Civil Code and the Law of Contract.” China-EU Law Journal 7 (2021): 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12689-021-00090-6
Kettunen, Hanna and Hannu Ruonavaara. “Rent Regulation in 21st century Europe. Comparative Perspectives.” Housing Studies 36. no.9 (2020): 1446-1468. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2020.1769564
Müller, Daniel &Patrick W. Schmitz. “The Right to Quit Work: An Efficiency Rationale for Restricting the Freedom of Contract.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 184 (2021): 653-669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.02.004
Nasarre-Aznar, Sergio. “Leases as an Alternative to Homeownership in Europe. Some Key Legal Aspects.” European Review of Private Law 22, no. 6 (2014): 815-846. https://doi.org/10.54648/erpl2014064
Rinn, Moritz, Jan Wehrheim, and Lena Wiese. “How Tenants’ Reactions to Rent Increases Affect Displacement: An Interactionist Approach to Gentrification.” Urban Studies 59, no.15 (2022): 3060–3076. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980221078212
Naudé, Tjakie. “The Principle of Reciprocity in Continuous Contracts Like Lease: What is and Should be the Role of the Exceptio Non Adimpleti Contractus (Defence of the Unfulfilled Contract)?,” Stellenbosch Law Review 27, no.2 (2016): 323-353
Rösler, Hannes. “Harmonizing the German Civil Code of the Nineteenth Century with a Modern Constitution--The Luth Revolution 50 Years Ago in Comparative Perspective.” Tulane European and Civil Law Forum 23 (2008): 1-36.
Vols, Michel and Marvin Kiehl. “Balancing Tenants’ Rights while Addressing Neighbour Nuisance in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.” European Property Law Journal 4, no. 2 (2015): 85–114 https://doi.org/10.1515/eplj-2015-0005
Vols, Michel, Marvin Kiehl, and Julian Sidoli del Ceno. “Human Rights and Protection against Eviction in Anti-social Behaviour Cases in the Netherlands and Germany.” European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance 2, no.2 (2015): 156-181. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134514-00202000
Wen, Wei. “Formality, Freedom of Contract, and China's New Civil Code: A Legal Reform Recommendation for Land Sale Contracts.” University of Pennsylvania Asian Law Review 17 (2022): 332-367.
Legal Documents
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany; in the revised version published in the Federal Law Gazette Part III, classification number 100-1, as last amended by Article 1 of the Act of 29 September 2020 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 2048).
German Civil Code; in the version promulgated on 2 January 2002 (Federal Law Gazette [Bundesgesetzblatt] I page 42, 2909; 2003 I page 738), last amended by Article 4 para. 5 of the Act of 1 October 2013 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 3719)
German Operating Costs Regulation (Betriebskostenverordnung/BetrKV); as amended by the announcement of November 25, 2003 (BGBI. I p. 2346, 2347), which was last amended by Article 15 of the Act of June 23, 2021 (BGBI. I p. 1858).
General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz/AGG); as amended by the announcement on August 14, 2006 (BGBl. I p. 1897), which was last amended by Article 1 of the Act of May 23, 2022 (BGBl. I p. 768).
Code of Civil Procedure (Zivilprozessordnung/ZPO); in the version of the announcement from 05.12.2005 (BGBl. I p. 3202, ber. 2006 I p. 431, 2007 p. 1781); last changed by law from 07.11.2022 (BGBl. I p. 1982) with effect from 12.11.2022
Other Documents
Cornelius, Julia and Joanna Rzeznik. “TENLAW: Tenancy Law and Housing Policy in Multi-level Europe.” National Report for Germany. Deliverable no. 3.2, Brussels, European Commission, 2014, pp.1-243.
Davies, Bill et.al. “Lessons from Germany – Tenant Power in the Rental Market” Report, Institute for Public Policy Research, London, 2017.
Montfort, Roland. “EY Global Commercial Terms Handbook.” second edition, EY, October 2020.
Müller, Rolf. “Tenancy Law and Energy Renovation in European comparison.” BBSR-Online-Publikation Nr. 14/2016, Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR), Bonn
German Federal Court of Justice
Judgment of the VIII. Zivilsenat from 5.10.2016 - VIII ZR 222/15
Website Content
Berliner-Mieterverein, “Rent Control/Rent Brake in Germany, for example Berlin, Part I Berlin,” 9 January 2018, 1. https://www.berliner-mieterverein.de/uploads/2018/01/Rent-Control-Rent-Brake-in-Germany-IUT-1-2018.pdf
Bonhage, Jan and Thomas Lang, “The Real Estate Law Review: Germany” The Law Reviews, 23 February 2022. https://thelawreviews.co.uk/title/the-real-estate-law-review/germany
Crist, Lea. “Comment on Judgement no. XII ZR 8/21 of the German Federal Court of Justice on the Obligation to Pay Rent in the Event of a COVID-19 related Shop Closure,” 24 January 2022, https://dwfgroup.com/en/news-and-insights/insights/2022/1/german-federal-court-of-justice-on-the-obligation-to-pay-rent-in-the-event-of-a-corona-shop-closure
DMB Deutscher Mieterbund (2022). Eigenbedarf; available online at: https://www.mieterbund.de/mietrecht/ueberblick/eigenbedarf.html
Federal Statistical Office (ed.) (2022). Distribution of the Population in Italy from 2004 to 2020 by Tenant and Owner; available online at: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/370713/umfrage/bevoelkerung-in-italien-nach-mieter-und-eigentuemer/
Federal Statistical Office (ed.) (2022). Distribution of the Population in Spain from 2007 to 2020 by Tenant and Owner; available online at: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/370711/umfrage/bevoelkerung-in-spanien-nach-mieter-und-eigentuemer/
Federal Statistical Office (ed.) (2022). Share of Rental and Owner-Occupied Apartments In Selected Cities in Germany in 2019; available online at: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1245932/umfrage/anteil-der-miet-und-eigentumswohnungen-in-deutschen-staedten/
ImmoNürnberg Immobilienvertrieb (2020). Residential vs. commercial lease: the 5 Most Important Differences; available online at: https://www.immonuernberg.de/unterschied-wohnraum-versus-gewerbemietvertrag
Marle. “You guide to German Rental Laws and Tenant Rights,” Housing Anywhere, 2022. https://housinganywhere.com/Germany/tenant-rights-in-germany
Rödl & Partner, “Landlord-to-Tenant Electricity Generated from PV Power Plants: Are you Still Supplying or Already,” 20 May 2021, https://www.roedl.com/insights/renewable-energy/2021/may/landlord-to-tenant-electricity-pv-power-plants
Zimmermann, Reinhard. “The German Civil Code and the Development of Private Law in Germany” Oxford University Comparative Law Forum, 2006, https://ouclf.law.ox.ac.uk/the-german-civil-code-and-the-development-of-private-law-in-germany/
Emmerich, Volker. Mietrecht: Kommentar zu den mietrechtlichen Vorschriften des Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuches und zum Zweiten Wohnraumkündigungsschutzgesetz Die Miete als Schuldverhältnis. Berlin: J. Schweizer Verlag, 1981.
Klaner, Andreas. Ratgeber Mietrecht: Mehr wissen - Recht bekommen. Berlin, Humbolds: Verlag GmbH, 2006.
Journal Article
Braeuer F, Kleinebrahm M and Naber E. “Effects of the Tenants Electricity Law on Energy System Layout and Landlord-Tenant Relationship in a Multi-Family Building in Germany.” IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 323 (2019): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/323/1/012168
Blawat, Magdalena. “The Court’s Interference with Contracts by Supplying and Converting the Contractual Terms.” Utrecht Law Review 18, no. 1 (2022): 76–92. https://doi.org/10.36633/ulr.759
Buletsa, Sibilla and Piotr Zakrzewski. “Limitation of Claims in Polish and Ukrainian Civil Code against the Background of the Principles of European Contract Law and the German Civil Code.” Journal of Legal Studies 24, no.38 (2019): 63-94. https://doi.org/10.2478/jles-2019-0010
Deakin, Simon. “Private Law and the New Social Question.” German Law Journal 23 (2022): 862–871 https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2022.50
Eller, Klaas Hendrik. “Comparative Genealogies of “Contract and Society.” German Law Journal 21, no. 7 (2020): 1393-1410. https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2020.84
Flume, Johannes W. “Strict Liability in Austrian and German Law: On the Concept of Strict Liability in the Age of Technological Advancement.” Journal of European Tort Law 12, no. 3 (2021): 205-220. https://doi.org/10.1515/jetl-2021-0012
Hedley, Steve. “Private Law Theory: The State of the Art.” School of Law, Áras na Laoi, University College Cork (2021): 1-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3917777
Harborth, Thomas. “Housing in Germany - A Case Study in the Light of Government Guidelines.” Ekonomika a Management, Prague University of Economics and Business 2 (2012): 5-17.
Herbots, Jacques Henri. “The Chinese New Civil Code and the Law of Contract.” China-EU Law Journal 7 (2021): 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12689-021-00090-6
Kettunen, Hanna and Hannu Ruonavaara. “Rent Regulation in 21st century Europe. Comparative Perspectives.” Housing Studies 36. no.9 (2020): 1446-1468. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2020.1769564
Müller, Daniel &Patrick W. Schmitz. “The Right to Quit Work: An Efficiency Rationale for Restricting the Freedom of Contract.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 184 (2021): 653-669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.02.004
Nasarre-Aznar, Sergio. “Leases as an Alternative to Homeownership in Europe. Some Key Legal Aspects.” European Review of Private Law 22, no. 6 (2014): 815-846. https://doi.org/10.54648/erpl2014064
Rinn, Moritz, Jan Wehrheim, and Lena Wiese. “How Tenants’ Reactions to Rent Increases Affect Displacement: An Interactionist Approach to Gentrification.” Urban Studies 59, no.15 (2022): 3060–3076. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980221078212
Naudé, Tjakie. “The Principle of Reciprocity in Continuous Contracts Like Lease: What is and Should be the Role of the Exceptio Non Adimpleti Contractus (Defence of the Unfulfilled Contract)?,” Stellenbosch Law Review 27, no.2 (2016): 323-353
Rösler, Hannes. “Harmonizing the German Civil Code of the Nineteenth Century with a Modern Constitution--The Luth Revolution 50 Years Ago in Comparative Perspective.” Tulane European and Civil Law Forum 23 (2008): 1-36.
Vols, Michel and Marvin Kiehl. “Balancing Tenants’ Rights while Addressing Neighbour Nuisance in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.” European Property Law Journal 4, no. 2 (2015): 85–114 https://doi.org/10.1515/eplj-2015-0005
Vols, Michel, Marvin Kiehl, and Julian Sidoli del Ceno. “Human Rights and Protection against Eviction in Anti-social Behaviour Cases in the Netherlands and Germany.” European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance 2, no.2 (2015): 156-181. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134514-00202000
Wen, Wei. “Formality, Freedom of Contract, and China's New Civil Code: A Legal Reform Recommendation for Land Sale Contracts.” University of Pennsylvania Asian Law Review 17 (2022): 332-367.
Legal Documents
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany; in the revised version published in the Federal Law Gazette Part III, classification number 100-1, as last amended by Article 1 of the Act of 29 September 2020 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 2048).
German Civil Code; in the version promulgated on 2 January 2002 (Federal Law Gazette [Bundesgesetzblatt] I page 42, 2909; 2003 I page 738), last amended by Article 4 para. 5 of the Act of 1 October 2013 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 3719)
German Operating Costs Regulation (Betriebskostenverordnung/BetrKV); as amended by the announcement of November 25, 2003 (BGBI. I p. 2346, 2347), which was last amended by Article 15 of the Act of June 23, 2021 (BGBI. I p. 1858).
General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz/AGG); as amended by the announcement on August 14, 2006 (BGBl. I p. 1897), which was last amended by Article 1 of the Act of May 23, 2022 (BGBl. I p. 768).
Code of Civil Procedure (Zivilprozessordnung/ZPO); in the version of the announcement from 05.12.2005 (BGBl. I p. 3202, ber. 2006 I p. 431, 2007 p. 1781); last changed by law from 07.11.2022 (BGBl. I p. 1982) with effect from 12.11.2022
Other Documents
Cornelius, Julia and Joanna Rzeznik. “TENLAW: Tenancy Law and Housing Policy in Multi-level Europe.” National Report for Germany. Deliverable no. 3.2, Brussels, European Commission, 2014, pp.1-243.
Davies, Bill et.al. “Lessons from Germany – Tenant Power in the Rental Market” Report, Institute for Public Policy Research, London, 2017.
Montfort, Roland. “EY Global Commercial Terms Handbook.” second edition, EY, October 2020.
Müller, Rolf. “Tenancy Law and Energy Renovation in European comparison.” BBSR-Online-Publikation Nr. 14/2016, Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR), Bonn
German Federal Court of Justice
Judgment of the VIII. Zivilsenat from 5.10.2016 - VIII ZR 222/15
Website Content
Berliner-Mieterverein, “Rent Control/Rent Brake in Germany, for example Berlin, Part I Berlin,” 9 January 2018, 1. https://www.berliner-mieterverein.de/uploads/2018/01/Rent-Control-Rent-Brake-in-Germany-IUT-1-2018.pdf
Bonhage, Jan and Thomas Lang, “The Real Estate Law Review: Germany” The Law Reviews, 23 February 2022. https://thelawreviews.co.uk/title/the-real-estate-law-review/germany
Crist, Lea. “Comment on Judgement no. XII ZR 8/21 of the German Federal Court of Justice on the Obligation to Pay Rent in the Event of a COVID-19 related Shop Closure,” 24 January 2022, https://dwfgroup.com/en/news-and-insights/insights/2022/1/german-federal-court-of-justice-on-the-obligation-to-pay-rent-in-the-event-of-a-corona-shop-closure
DMB Deutscher Mieterbund (2022). Eigenbedarf; available online at: https://www.mieterbund.de/mietrecht/ueberblick/eigenbedarf.html
Federal Statistical Office (ed.) (2022). Distribution of the Population in Italy from 2004 to 2020 by Tenant and Owner; available online at: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/370713/umfrage/bevoelkerung-in-italien-nach-mieter-und-eigentuemer/
Federal Statistical Office (ed.) (2022). Distribution of the Population in Spain from 2007 to 2020 by Tenant and Owner; available online at: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/370711/umfrage/bevoelkerung-in-spanien-nach-mieter-und-eigentuemer/
Federal Statistical Office (ed.) (2022). Share of Rental and Owner-Occupied Apartments In Selected Cities in Germany in 2019; available online at: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1245932/umfrage/anteil-der-miet-und-eigentumswohnungen-in-deutschen-staedten/
ImmoNürnberg Immobilienvertrieb (2020). Residential vs. commercial lease: the 5 Most Important Differences; available online at: https://www.immonuernberg.de/unterschied-wohnraum-versus-gewerbemietvertrag
Marle. “You guide to German Rental Laws and Tenant Rights,” Housing Anywhere, 2022. https://housinganywhere.com/Germany/tenant-rights-in-germany
Rödl & Partner, “Landlord-to-Tenant Electricity Generated from PV Power Plants: Are you Still Supplying or Already,” 20 May 2021, https://www.roedl.com/insights/renewable-energy/2021/may/landlord-to-tenant-electricity-pv-power-plants
Zimmermann, Reinhard. “The German Civil Code and the Development of Private Law in Germany” Oxford University Comparative Law Forum, 2006, https://ouclf.law.ox.ac.uk/the-german-civil-code-and-the-development-of-private-law-in-germany/
Published
2023-01-30
How to Cite
EISSING, Christin.
Distinguishing German Residential and Commercial Tenancy Law: Are Tenant and Landlord in an Equal Position?.
Udayana Journal of Law and Culture, [S.l.], v. 7, n. 1, p. 25-42, jan. 2023.
ISSN 2549-0680.
Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/ujlc/article/view/93040>. Date accessed: 25 apr. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/UJLC.2023.v07.i01.p02.
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