Most Berlin tenants are overpaying €3,600 a year. Are you one of them?

Rent control is a law "to dampen rent increases in tight housing markets" (§ 556d BGB). It was introduced nationwide in 2015 and now applies in most federal states. Rent control applies in many major cities such as Berlin or Munich, and lets tenants lower their rent if it's more than ten percent above the local comparable rent. That makes it currently the most powerful weapon against overpriced rents, which is why every tenant should know and use it.

Rent control generally applies across Germany. However, each federal state has to independently define where it applies and implement the law.

Rent control applies nationwide and sets the maximum rent a landlord may charge. This maximum rent depends on the location and features of the apartment, as well as the age of the tenancy. If your rent is above this maximum, you can invoke rent control and lower your rent to the maximum permitted level. You can determine the maximum permitted rent for your apartment for free and with no obligation using the CONNY rent calculator. Where exactly rent control applies, what exceptions exist, how to enforce your right, and much more can be found on our rent control information page.

In principle, it's quite simple: when re-letting an apartment, the landlord may not charge an overpriced rent. A maximum of 10% above the local comparable rent is allowed. If you're paying more, you can also demand a rent reduction during an ongoing tenancy and reclaim the overpaid rent from that point on. But the devil is in the details: the tenant has to activate rent control with a so-called qualified letter of complaint, otherwise the landlord can simply keep the excess rent received. This qualified letter has to meet certain legal requirements and specifically derive, based on the local rent index, why the rent is overpriced. If you mandate CONNY, you don't have to worry about any of that: we take care of the letter of complaint for you. Landlords may also try to invoke various exceptions to rent control.

Yes. If an out-of-court settlement can't be reached and we consider judicial enforcement promising, our partner lawyers will also file a claim in court. The litigation costs are covered by CONNY. CONNY's fee is only due if we succeed. If we're not successful, you have no costs — so you carry no financial risk.

Landlords know rent control too, and know that charging more than allowed isn't legal. Accordingly, most of them stay calm and are willing to find an amicable solution for both sides. Many landlords already know CONNY and are aware that we, as recognized rent-law experts, communicate professionally and on solid legal ground. A large share of landlords are housing companies that handle such cases routinely and have little interest in disputing a legally clear case. Terminating your tenancy over a rent reduction is excluded by law. So as a tenant, you don't need to fear your landlord.

Yes, CONNY's analysis and calculation of your possible savings potential is free for you. Afterward, you decide whether you want to mandate our team to enforce your claim to a rent reduction.

Your landlord covers the cost! Here's how: if we achieve a rent reduction for you, you benefit from an average of €400 more per month. Claims from the period before the rent reduction are paid out to us by your landlord — including the part of your deposit you overpaid because of your old, too-high rent. We use these repayments to fund our team of legal experts who enforce a fair rent for you. As a rule, we cover our entire fee from the repayment claims against your landlord and don't invoice you. In rare exceptions, and only if we reach a result quickly and easily, we charge a minimum fee equal to six months of savings for the period after we send the letter of complaint. In no case will you ever pay more rent than you do today. Start your rent reduction now!

As a legal-tech company, case handling at CONNY differs significantly from that of a traditional lawyer. You can find a detailed look at our approach and how you, as a customer, stay up to date on our "How CONNY works" page.

We're experienced IT and legal experts who have already successfully enforced rent control for thousands of tenants. Our principle: you carry no financial risk, because you only pay if we've been successful for you. On top of that, we offer you the following advantages:

Convenient: We handle the entire process with your landlord — filing applications, setting deadlines, sending reminders, requesting and reviewing evidence, and financing contract lawyers if court hearings become necessary. All you have to do is mandate us; you'll get updates on your case, be asked whether to accept any settlement offers or continue the process, and be told the final result. There's no easier way to enforce your rights.

No financial risk & active help: Unlike conventional lawyers, we only earn a fee if we're successful for you. If we're not successful, you have no costs. And unlike other consumer associations, we take active steps and enforce your claims for you.

High success rate: Thanks to our processes, proven successful thousands of times over, and our automation, the experience from every case feeds into yours, letting us work very efficiently. Because we go up against the same companies again and again, the other side's willingness to settle rises with every case we win for our customers.

In simple terms — there is no difference. wenigermiete.de is a platform and a name known nationwide for enforcing tenant rights, operated by CONNY. On our way to giving consumers one unified platform for enforcing consumer rights, we built conny.legal, which takes over all of wenigermiete.de's services and makes them accessible in a user-friendly design. We continue to help tenants as a trustworthy partner in enforcing rent control. CONNY also fights for fair severance pay for employees. As always: online, straightforward, and with no financial risk.