Frequently asked questions

Termination dates and notification periods for terminating a tenancy are defined separately for every tenancy. The dates and periods that apply to your tenancy are set out in your tenancy agreement.

Under tenancy law, you are required to grant access to your property for the purpose of viewings by prospective new tenants. We will contact you to arrange a single or multiple dates for viewings. When doing so, we will also ask for your permission to pass on your phone number and, where relevant, email address to prospective new tenants to request a viewing.

Please send us a written, signed notice of termination of tenancy within the relevant termination notice period for your rental agreement. The date that will be decisive for compliance with the notice period will be the date on which we receive the notice of termination, not the date it was posted.

All lettings are generally publicly advertised. If one of your friends or acquaintances is interested in the tenancy, you can recommend them to us as a new tenant. We will then review their application as usual.

Yes, it is possible to terminate your tenancy outside the agreed notice periods if you are able to find an acceptable and solvent new tenant and the new rental agreement has been signed by both parties (Livit and new tenant).

The formula for the relative method of rent adjustment is based on a model developed by the Federal Office for Housing. If the reference interest rate rises by a quarter of one percent, this will result in a rent increase of 3%. In addition to the reference interest rate, 40% of the inflation rate (National Consumer Price Index) and cost increases may also be passed on to the rent. 

Tenancy law stipulates that the party initiating a change in the rent must be the one to take action. 

• If the reference interest rate drops, tenants may request a rent reduction. 
• If the reference interest rate goes up, landlords may communicate a rent increase.

Yes, landlords must inform tenants about the rent increase in good time using an official form. Key dates are the termination dates and deadlines agreed in the tenancy agreement or the customary local termination dates if these are not specified in the agreement. Please note the instructions for appeals on the rent adjustment form (reverse side).

Yes, you can appeal the rent increase to the arbitration authority within 30 days of receiving the letter from your landlord. See the appeal instructions on the rent adjustment form.

It’s impossible to say at this point. The reference interest rate is announced quarterly by the Federal Office for Housing.
Experts assume that the reference interest rate will continue to rise over the next few years.