FAQ for Landlords

Private providers of apartments and houses in Munich are subject to a minimum rental period of six months. The City of Munich regards rental periods of less than six months as misappropriation of living space, which is why we only broker apartments and houses for at least six months or longer.

Commercial providers such as serviced apartments are not allowed to rent for longer than 6 months in many locations. We therefore differentiate between short-stay and long-term offers.</p

<p>In the Tegernsee region, private providers are also allowed to let for shorter rental periods, which means we can offer furnished rentals from just one month.</p

We mainly have customers who will be staying in the greater Munich area or the Tegernsee & Oberland region for a limited period on a project-related basis and will only be traveling with suitcases. In addition to contemporary furnishings, they expect the kitchen to be fully equipped with crockery, cutlery, pots, pans, kettle, bed linen, towels, vacuum cleaner, etc., as well as complete furnishings. If possible, a washing machine or washer-dryer should be available in the apartment. Equally important is the technical standard: Smart TV and high-speed internet access. You can obtain an inventory list from our landlord advice service on request.</p

We recommend the provision of an Internet connection/WLAN with at least 50 Mbit/s, if available. Fast internet is a very important decision criterion for prospective tenants. The provision of fast internet therefore makes it easier to let. Apartments without activated Internet/WLAN are virtually uninteresting for all prospective tenants. Unfortunately, the question of liability is not absolutely clear-cut. So far, we are only aware of relatively few irregularities from our large circle of landlords who offer Internet, and in most of these cases the tenants have taken responsibility. Rental agreements prepared by us contain a liability clause.</p

We recommend a high-speed Internet connection via M-Net. M-Net is the only provider where you can take out an Internet contract without a telephone. A telephone connection is rarely requested by prospective tenants. If you have cable TV available in your apartment, you may also be able to book Internet via kabel-deutschland.de or via pyur.com 

Customers rarely ask about this. It is certainly more convenient for tenants to have a landline in their apartment, but it is rarely a criterion for exclusion.</p

On request, Mr. Lodge will be happy to record the handover and return of your property. We use our in-house app to create a condition report for this purpose. Please note that no inventory list is created or checked - it is only a documentation of the condition or any defects. This service is part of our comfort service.

Mr. Lodge is the contact person for tenants and landlords throughout the rental period and can help with language barriers or act as a neutral mediator.

The organization of a professional final cleaning after the tenant moves out is part of our comfort service. Maintenance cleaning is ordered directly by the tenant, not through Mr. Lodge.

Our qualified interior designers are happy to offer you their support: from photo-friendly decoration to the complete new furnishing of your apartment / your house. You can find an overview of the entire range of services here.

Our technical service team helps with small repairs, maintenance works or any larger damages to the property. We coordinate repairs and provide assistance so that you do not have to worry about anything.

High-quality photos and videos are vital in an optimal presentation and successful brokering of your property. We also emphasize a uniform presentation of all our apartments and houses. All photos and videos are taken by specialists at Mr. Lodge with only the latest and professional photo and video equipment. Unfortunately, we cannot accept photos or videos by other parties.

The costs are part of the Mr. Lodge service package and there are no additional costs for taking photos and videos. More information can be found here.

Quite often the property is still occupied by a tenant or the Landlord themselves during the photo appointment. However, your apartment/house should appear as neutral as possible. Make sure that your property looks inviting: fresh flowers are always a nice welcome gesture, the beds should be made and personal belongings should not be visible if possible. More information can be found here.

• Owners
• Tenants who have permission to sublet
• Commercial providers

For furnished rentals, the following applies: You have a fully furnished apartment or house in the greater Munich area or in the Tegernsee & Oberland region.

For living space in the Munich city area, the following applies: Your apartment or house is available for at least six months.

In the Tegernsee & Oberland region, private vacation home owners may also rent out for short periods of time.

Our clientele consists primarily of people who come to the Munich metropolitan region for months or years for professional reasons and have a temporary need. Many are highly qualified specialists who work here on a project basis for well-known companies. This international clientele is looking for good and very good properties (1- to 4-room apartments and houses) through us.</p

It is always the landlord who decides. If a customer is specifically interested in your apartment, we will contact you and give you the most important information in advance, e.g. background of the tenant, intended rental period, whether he/she will be moving in alone, etc. As the landlord, it is of course up to you to decide with whom you conclude a contract. Mr. Lodge will be happy to advise you.

We are a member of SCHUFA. We have been using SCHUFA information since 2011 when concluding a rental agreement - where possible or necessary. We are also a member of CREDITREFORM, the largest German credit agency. We want to offer you the greatest possible security and endeavor to find you only serious, solvent tenants. We check the prospective tenants and obtain tenant self-disclosures. However, we cannot provide a guarantee. Mr. Lodge is not liable for any loss of rent or damage.</p

• Higher yield
  A higher yield can generally be assumed for furnished rentals. The initial investment in furnishings and fittings is offset in the long term by correspondingly higher rents. As a landlord, however, you are also more exposed to fluctuations in the housing market. Rents can fluctuate depending on the economic situation (see also: Rent determination).
• Your property remains available
  The tenants are usually project-related in Munich, which means that the rental periods are manageable (mostly 6 to 24 months). This maintains the advantage of the property's availability for resale or owner-occupation.
• Investment advice
  If you are about to make an investment decision, it is helpful to contact us. Your contacts: Norbert Verbücheln and Dietmar Schlüter, Tel. +49 89 340 823-44
  We know the needs of the temporary tenant clientele who are eligible for furnished apartments. In recent years, Mr. Lodge has brokered and managed several thousand apartments.
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Mr. Lodge sees itself both as an agent for your property and as a point of contact for both tenants throughout the entire rental period. The work of our technical services and our Interior Design Department on an hourly basis after consultation with you. The complete satisfaction of renters and tenants is the top priority at Mr. Lodge.

Tenants must register and pay for radio and television sets themselves. (https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de)

to the landlord's account and is refunded to the tenant's account as soon as the apartment is returned. The landlords are legally obliged to pay back the deposit as soon as there are no more open or unsettled claims. The landlord is obligated to keep the deposit protected against insolvency.

This is the most common way when renting an unfurnished apartment. It is, however, more difficult with the shorter rental periods for furnished rentals. Often times, the tenant has to pay an additional small amount, e.g. cleaning costs. The landlord can only settle this amount via the savings accounts with a great deal of time and effort, or he issues the tenant with an invoice and hands over the savings account only after the invoice has been paid. After moving out of the apartment, the tenant is quite often no longer in Munich or Germany.

If the tenant is a company, this type of deposit is usually preferred or, in some cases, this is a condition for the signing of a rental agreement. The bank guarantee must be properly issued and have no immediate expiry date at the end of the lease. It becomes difficult if the tenant extends the lease several times. In this case, you must ensure that the bank guarantee is unlimited in time.

Preparing a transparent deposit settlement is one of the most important obligations of landlords:

Landlords must repay the deposit as soon as all claims have been settled. There is no general "waiting period" for the preparation of the settlement. All necessary information must be obtained promptly. Delaying the settlement and repayment without good reason is not permitted.

Repayment may be delayed if damages still need to be clarified or settled, or if invoices for damage repairs are not yet available.

Each item that you claim against the deposit must be substantiated both in terms of reason and amount (damage documentation and purchase receipts or invoices). The use of an Excel list or table has proven to be helpful in providing a clear overview of the settlement.

We recommend that you always inform your tenants promptly about the status of your settlement. This shows tenants that you are proceeding transparently.

(All the information provided here is for guidance on the practical steps of the deposit settlement and does not constitute legal advice).

Mr. Lodge mediates the rental agreement and is not liable for compliance with the rental contract agreement. The tenant is liable for damages caused by him to the apartment/house or its furniture and equipment.
As a precaution against damages, you as landlord take the deposit (generally two months’ rent). Please consult us if there is a dispute between the tenant and you regarding return of the deposit. We represent a neutral position.

As a landlord you can take out a commercial household insurance for your furnished apartment. Talk to your insurance advisor about this. Please note, however, that the insurance company is not liable for many types of damage, i.e. the insurance company does not pay in the event of damage (see below)

Liability insurance is recommended for the tenant. Here, too, the scope of liability is limited.

Inform the tenant of possible dangers during the apartment handover: e.g. water damages caused by the washing machine or mold infestation due to insufficient ventilation/heating of the apartment.