The rule that surprises almost everyone: it must be on paper
§ 568 Abs. 1 BGB
„Die Kündigung des Mietverhältnisses bedarf der schriftlichen Form.“
Schriftform means a physical document carrying your own handwritten signature. This is not a formality you can work around:
- E-mail does not work, not even with a scanned signature attached. § 126 BGB requires the original.
- A message in a landlord portal or WhatsApp does not work, however clearly it is worded.
- A fax does not work either, for the same reason.
- If more than one person signed the contract, all of them must sign the notice. A joint tenancy cannot be ended by one tenant alone.
An invalid notice does not simply fail – it silently keeps the tenancy alive. People find out months later, when the rent is still being debited.
Work out your end date
Your earliest possible end date
FreeThe day it arrives – not the day you post it.
Public holidays differ by state and can move the deadline.
Your tenancy ends on
…
Enter the date of arrival.
Saturdays count as working days here. The Federal Court of Justice decided this for § 573c Abs. 1 BGB (BGH, 27 April 2005 – VIII ZR 206/04). Sundays and public holidays do not count.
What matters is arrival, not posting. Send the letter early and keep proof – an Einwurf-Einschreiben (registered mail with proof of delivery to the letterbox) is the usual choice.
Your result is ready. The calculator works out the third working day with the public holidays of all 16 federal states and produces the notice letter as a signature-ready PDF and Word file. The tool is in English; the letter itself is German, as it has to be.
Open the notice toolThree months, whatever your contract says
Your notice period as a tenant is always three months. It does not grow with the years – the extension to six and nine months after five and eight years applies only to the landlord.
And if your contract demands more from you, that clause is void:
§ 573c Abs. 4 BGB
„Eine zum Nachteil des Mieters von Absatz 1 oder 3 abweichende Vereinbarung ist unwirksam.“
Any agreement that puts the tenant in a worse position than the statutory rule is invalid. A clause requiring six months' notice from you simply does not apply.
One real exception: a genuine fixed-term tenancy (Zeitmietvertrag, § 575 BGB) cannot be cancelled early – but it is only valid if the landlord stated a specific statutory reason in writing when the contract was signed. A contract that merely says „two years“ without such a reason is treated as an ordinary open-ended tenancy, and you can give notice normally.
What goes into the letter
- Your name and the full address of the flat, including the floor and position if the building has several units.
- A clear statement that you are terminating the tenancy – in German, „hiermit kündige ich das Mietverhältnis“.
- The date to which you are giving notice, plus the safety wording „hilfsweise zum nächstmöglichen Termin“ (alternatively to the next possible date). If your calculation is off by a day, the notice still takes effect at the next valid date.
- A request for written confirmation and for a handover appointment.
- Signatures of every person named in the contract.
Write it in German
There is no rule requiring German – but a German landlord will act on a German letter, and if it ever reaches a court, the court works in German. This is why our letters stay German while the explanation is in English.
Work out your cut-off date, then send the letter
The calculator works out the third working day with the public holidays of all 16 federal states and produces the notice letter as a signature-ready PDF and Word file. The tool is in English; the letter itself is German, as it has to be.
Open the notice toolFrequently asked questions
Can I cancel my German rental contract by e-mail?
No. § 568 Abs. 1 BGB requires written form: paper with your own handwritten signature. An e-mail or a scanned PDF is invalid, and the tenancy simply continues.
How long is my notice period as a tenant?
Three months, always. The extension after five and eight years applies only to the landlord (§ 573c Abs. 1 BGB).
My contract says six months. Does that apply to me?
No. § 573c Abs. 4 BGB makes any agreement that is worse for the tenant void. Three months remain.
Does Saturday count as a working day?
Yes, for this deadline it does (BGH, 27 April 2005 – VIII ZR 206/04). Sundays and public holidays do not.
I have a fixed-term contract. Can I still leave?
Only if the fixed term is invalid. A Zeitmietvertrag under § 575 BGB requires the landlord to have stated a specific statutory reason in writing at the outset. Without that reason, the tenancy counts as open-ended and you can give normal notice.
Read the law yourself
- § 573c BGB: notice periods
- § 568 BGB: form and content of the notice
- § 575 BGB: fixed-term tenancy
- § 549 BGB: which rules apply to residential tenancies
Alle Fundstellen führen zu gesetze-im-internet.de, dem amtlichen Angebot des Bundesministeriums der Justiz.
Not legal advice. This page explains German law in general terms and does not replace advice on your individual case. We are not lawyers, not a public authority and not an advice service. Every provision we cite is linked so you can read it yourself. If the third working day itself falls on a Saturday, German courts have not settled whether the deadline moves. We calculate without any shift, which is the safer side for you.