Germans often quarrel without a judge

There is often a quarrel between landlords and tenants. But the parties meet less often in court.

The number of rental processes in Germany has dropped by more than 35 percent since 1996, reports the German Tenants' Association (DMB). In 2017, tenants and landlords faced each other around 230, 000 times before the local and regional courts. That is around 20, 000 fewer processes than in the previous year - and even a good 120, 000 fewer than in 1996. So is there less trouble about additional costs, mold and the like? Not at all, says the DMB. The tenants' legal advice requirements remained high. The DMB's lawyers conduct around 1.1 million consultations annually. But most of these disputes between tenants and landlords are settled out of court. The most common are disputes about operating costs, housing shortages and rent increases.