This one is a wildcat. Fiddly, and easy to get wrong. Nothing bad happens if you do — you just have to fix it. Get it right once and you never think about it again.

Handover protocol (Übergabeprotokoll)

One document decides most arguments about a deposit, and you fill it in twice: once when you take the keys, and once when you hand them back. It is called a handover protocol, and it records the condition of the flat. This page explains what belongs in it and what the law protects. There is a fillable one below that you can complete and copy.

What it is

One form, used twice: moving in, and moving out.The official wording A handover protocol (Übergabeprotokoll) is a record of the flat's condition at handover. The same standard form is used both when you move in (vor dem Einzug) and when you move out (vor dem Auszug). Source ↗

What to record

Every room, every fault, every meter, every key.The official wording A complete protocol records the condition of each room and any existing defects (Mängel), the meter numbers and readings for electricity, gas and water (photograph them if you can), and the number of keys handed over. Source ↗

Signing and keeping it

Both of you sign and date it. Both keep a copy.The official wording The protocol is dated and signed by both the tenant and the landlord (an optional witness can also sign). Each side keeps a copy. Source ↗

Do not sign until you have checked every room and received the keys. Keep your own signed copy, because it is your evidence just as much as the landlord's.

You don't pay for normal wear

The move-in form is what proves a mark was already there.The official wording By law you are not responsible for normal wear and tear — changes or deterioration caused by using the flat as agreed in the contract. A move-in protocol documents the starting condition, so at move-out you can show which marks were already there or are simply normal use, not damage you must pay for. Source ↗

The deposit this protects is capped by law. See the rental application helper →

Fill in your protocol

Complete what applies and copy the German text below to print or email. It all runs in your browser, so nothing is saved or sent anywhere. A blank field stays blank, for you and the landlord to fill in by hand.

Your protocol

WOHNUNGSÜBERGABE-PROTOKOLL
vor dem Einzug (move-in)

Name der/des Mieter(s): ________________________
Wohnung (Straße und Hausnummer): ________________________
Datum der Besichtigung: ________________________

Zustand der Räume / festgestellte Mängel:
1. Diele/Flur — ________________________
2. Küche — ________________________
3. Bad/WC — ________________________
4. Wohnzimmer — ________________________
5. Balkon — ________________________
6. Schlafzimmer — ________________________
7. Kinderzimmer — ________________________
8. Keller — ________________________
9. Weitere Räume — ________________________
10. Garage — ________________________

Zählerstände:
Strom — Zählernummer: ________________________   Stand: ________________________
Gas (soweit vorhanden) — Zählernummer: ________________________   Stand: ________________________
Wasser (soweit vorhanden) — Zählernummer: ________________________   Stand: ________________________

Übergebene Wohnungsschlüssel (Anzahl): ________________________
Bemerkungen – Sonstiges: ________________________

Dieses Protokoll wurde von beiden Seiten geprüft und unterschrieben.

Datum: ________________________

Vermieter (Unterschrift): ____________________________
Mieter (Unterschrift): ____________________________
Zeuge/Zeugin (Name, Unterschrift): ____________________________

Handover terms, translated

The words you will meet on a protocol and at a handover, and what each one means. It passes no judgement on your flat.

Übergabeprotokoll: Handover protocol — the condition record
Wohnungsübergabe: The handover of the flat itself
Mängel: Defects — existing faults you record
Zählerstand: Meter reading (electricity, gas, water)
Kaution / Mietsicherheit: The deposit the protocol protects
vertragsgemäße Abnutzung: Normal wear from agreed use — not your liability
Schönheitsreparaturen: Cosmetic repairs — a separate, often-disputed clause
besenrein: 'Broom-clean' — a common move-out condition

Where this page stops

Whether one mark counts as normal wear, or whether a Schönheitsreparaturen clause is valid, is a tenancy-law question. So is a deposit that never came back. This page does not answer those, but a tenants' association (Mieterverein) or the Verbraucherzentrale can.

Earlier steps in the housing chain:

Rental application helper Anmeldung starter pack

An automated assistant that organizes your information and applies publicly documented rules. Sources for each rule are cited.

This is not legal, tax, immigration, or financial advice, and not an official recognition, filing, or application. For decisions with legal or financial consequences, consult a qualified professional.

Rules last verified: 2026-07-14.