Lesson 12: Mieterrechte: rent increases and the housing market

Dialogue: Harpreet Singh at the tenants' association

Words and phrases

Grammar

wer: “whoever”, “anyone who”

The relative pronoun wer introduces a clause about people in general, not about a specific person. The clause usually stands at the beginning of the sentence, and the main clause often starts with a demonstrative pronoun (der, dem, den) that picks up the meaning: Wer zur Miete wohnt, (der) sollte seine Rechte kennen. You may leave out the demonstrative only if wer and the demonstrative are in the same case. If the main clause needs a different case, you must use it: Wer Fragen hat, dem helfen wir gern. (helfen + dative). wer itself also changes: wen (accusative), wem (dative).

was and wo- + preposition

The relative pronoun was refers not to a noun with a fixed gender but to something general or to a whole idea. Use it after indefinite pronouns such as alles, nichts, etwas, vieles, manches, einiges: Alles, was den Wohnwert mindert, spielt eine Rolle. Use it after das and after nominalised superlatives: Das ist das Beste, was Sie tun können. And use it to refer back to a whole clause: Der Vermieter erhöht die Miete, was viele Mieter ärgert. Here was means “which” in the sense of “and this fact”.

If the verb needs a preposition, was becomes wo(r)- + preposition: sich orientieren an → Ich hatte nichts, woran ich mich orientieren konnte. sich ärgern über → Er hat die Miete erhöht, worüber sich alle ärgern. Add an r when the preposition starts with a vowel: woran, worauf, worüber, but womit, wofür, wovon. With nouns that are people or specific things you still use the normal relative pronoun: der Vertrag, über den wir gesprochen haben.

dessen and deren: “whose”

To say “whose” in a relative clause, German uses the genitive relative pronouns dessen (after masculine and neuter nouns) and deren (after feminine nouns and all plurals). The choice depends on the noun that comes before the comma, not on the noun that follows. The noun after dessen/deren has no article, and an adjective in between takes the strong ending, as if there were no article at all.

With a preposition, it comes first: der Mieterverein, mit dessen Hilfe ich die Antwort geschrieben habe. These forms are very common in official and legal texts, so it is worth recognising them quickly.

Practice

Writing task

Good to know

Most people in Germany rent rather than own their home, and tenancy law gives tenants considerable protection. At the same time, the rules on rent increases, notice periods and personal use (Eigenbedarf) are detailed, depend on the type of contract and can change. This lesson explains the principles only: always read your own contract and the landlord's letter carefully, and get advice before you sign or reject anything.

A Mieterverein (tenants' association) advises its members for a membership fee and can help you check letters and draft replies. Many cities publish a Mietspiegel online. Don't ignore letters from your landlord, even if you disagree, and keep copies of everything you send and receive. If you are used to sorting things out informally with a landlord, as many people do in India, remember that in Germany important agreements should always be in writing.

Can you do this now?

Related: Renting in Germany · Your deposit rights · German B2 lessons