Germany · Rental deposit
Your landlord in Germany kept your deposit: ask for it back in writing
German law sets no fixed period for repaying a rental deposit. After the tenancy ends, the landlord may take a reasonable time to check for claims. After that, the deposit is due with the interest it earned. If the money has not come back, a formal letter asks for a statement of account (Kautionsabrechnung) and repayment by a clear date.
The questions, and the documents that come with the letters (checklist, timeline, next steps and memo), are in English. The letters can be written in German or English.
Other languages: Deutsch
The rules your letter follows
Taken from the official sources listed below. Interest rates change from time to time; these are the current ones.
- Repayment of the deposit
- No fixed period
- The landlord may take a reasonable time after the tenancy ends to check for claims. The deposit falls due once that time has passed.
- Deadline in the letter
- 14 days
- You can choose up to 30 days. The letter puts the landlord in default only if their time to check has already passed when they receive it.
- Interest the deposit earns
- Belongs to you
- The landlord must keep the deposit invested apart from their own money, and the returns are added to it. In student or youth hostels no interest is owed.
- Default interest
- 6.52%
- Until 31 December 2026. From the date the landlord is in default.
- Limitation period
- 3 years
- From the end of the year in which the deposit fell due.
- Court
- Amtsgericht
- The local court, whatever the amount. You do not need a lawyer.
- How to send it
- Einwurf-Einschreiben
- Registered post put through the letterbox. Send it by email too, and keep the posting and delivery receipts.
What German law says about the deposit
The law limits how much deposit a landlord may ask for, and the landlord must invest it separately from their own money. The returns belong to you and are added to the deposit. For a room in a student or youth hostel, the landlord does not have to pay interest on it.
There is no fixed period for repayment. After the tenancy ends, the landlord may take a reasonable time to check whether they have any claims against you. The deposit falls due once that time has passed and no claims secured by it remain. The landlord may deduct only claims they can justify.
What the letter does
It names the tenancy, the deposit and how you paid it, and the date you returned the home and the keys. It asks for a statement of account and repayment with interest by a clear date, and disputes the deductions you mark as disputed.
German law does not say how long the landlord's time to check may last, so the letter does not claim that it is over. It counts as a formal reminder (Mahnung) only to the extent that the deposit is already due, and mentions court only on that condition. A demand made once the deposit is due puts the landlord in default, so default interest can run.
If the landlord still does not pay
Disputes over a residential tenancy go to the local court (Amtsgericht) whatever the amount, and you can act there without a lawyer. Court fees are paid in advance, and the losing party usually pays the costs. The escalation memo in the Complete pack explains the route.
Writing first also matters for costs. Without a demand, a landlord who accepts your claim straight away in court can leave you with the costs of the case.
A court claim succeeds only once the deposit has fallen due. If your tenancy ended only recently, a claim may be dismissed as premature, and you would then pay the costs.
What is in the envelope
Word and PDF files you can edit before you send anything.
- 01
Demand letter
The formal letter, in the language you choose, with your amount and payment details. The deadline, and any interest and costs, follow the local rules.
- 02
Evidence checklist
What to keep and what to enclose, checked against the files you uploaded.
- 03
Timeline
Your dispute date by date, including the dates still to come.
- 04
Next steps
How to send the letter so you can prove it arrived, and what to do with each kind of reply.
- 05
Final demandComplete
A shorter second letter with a last deadline, for when the first one passes.
- 06
Escalation memoComplete
Court, collection agencies and lawyers: what each route involves. It describes the options; it does not choose one for you.
How it works
Today
You answer the questions. It takes about ten minutes, and your answers are saved as you go.
Today
You check the summary and pay. A few minutes later your documents are ready, in Word and PDF.
When you are ready
You sign the letter and send it yourself, so it comes from you.
Questions
How long may my landlord keep the deposit?
No law sets a fixed period. The landlord may take a reasonable time after the tenancy ends to check for claims, and the deposit falls due once that time has passed. The letter cannot know whether it has, so it counts as a formal reminder only to the extent that the deposit is already due. A court claim succeeds only after that time.
Do I get interest on the deposit?
Yes. The landlord must invest the deposit, and the returns belong to you and are added to it. In student and youth hostels no interest is owed. The letter asks for the deposit with the interest it earned.
Can my landlord deduct costs from the deposit?
Only for claims they can justify. The letter asks for a statement of account and lists the deductions you do not accept, so the landlord knows which ones you contest.
How long can I wait?
The claim is time-barred 3 years after the end of the year in which the deposit fell due.
Can I have the letter written in English?
Yes. German is the default; you can choose English if your landlord reads it more easily.
P.S.
Your documents are written by an AI system and checked automatically against your answers and the local rules. No lawyer reviews them. They are document drafts and general information, not legal advice. Your answers are deleted 30 days after delivery, or sooner if you ask.
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