Housing Provider Confirmation

After first experiences of our customers with the KVR of the city of Munich and due to our own inquiries with the KVR we would like to forward the following additional information to you (as of 01.12.2015)

1. The KVR will not accept an informal e-mail from the landlord to the tenant as an admissible landlord confirmation.
2. Landlords should refrain from sending in the scanned confirmation by email directly to the KVR Munich. The same applies to sending it by post. This is because the KVR cannot yet administratively merge e-mails or mail from the landlord with the actual date with the tenant, which takes place at the KVR or at one of the public offices.
3. It is sufficient for the landlord to scan the signed housing provider confirmation and send it to the tenant by e-mail as a PDF file. The tenant must submit this document to the KVR in printed form.
4. Landlords are best advised to use the official form of the City of Munich for the confirmation.

With effect from November 1, 2015, landlords are required to confirm the move into the new apartment to their tenants (section 19 of the Federal Registration Act). This must be done within two weeks of moving in. If they do not comply with this obligation, they may face a fine.

The tenant needs the confirmation in order to be able to register with the registration office after moving in. This has to be done within 2 weeks. Therefore it is important that the landlord issue the confirmation promptly and send it to the tenant immediately.

It this context it is also important to know that the issuing of “favor confirmations” can be subject to a fine. A “favor confirmation” refers to a landlord issuing a confirmation to a person even though this person is not moving into the apartment.

If the tenant is already registered at a place of residence in Germany, they only need to register or deregister in Munich if the stay in the apartment is longer than 6 months. If the tenant lives abroad and is not already registered in Germany, they must register the apartment for any stay longer than 3 months. The landlord can, of course, always issue the confirmation to the tenant, regardless of the rental period. The obligation to register and deregister only applies to the person subject to registration, not the landlord. The landlord is not obligated to check whether or not the tenant registers or deregisters. However, the landlord has the right to enquire with the administration office, whether they have registered or deregistered.

Further information on the registration and change of residence can be found on the website of the
City of Munich.