On 1 November 2015, Germany introduced a new registration law – the Federal Registration Act ("Bundesmeldegesetz"). According to this law, every time a tenant moves in, the housing providers are legally obliged to cooperate and issue a landlord's confirmation of residence to the tenant. The tenant needs this confirmation to complete the registration process.
For you as landlord, this means that you are required to issue such a confirmation to your tenants since 1 November 2015.
A confirmation from the landlord must contain the following information:
- name and address of the housing provider (usually the landlord's name and address),
- name of the owner, if he/she is not the housing provider,
- the move-in date,
- the address of the place of residence,
- the names of all persons subject to reporting requirements,
- signature of the housing provider.
To make your work easier, you will find a form for a confirmation from the landlord under “Applications / Forms”, as well as this information for printing. Of course, any other form can also be used – as long as it contains at least the six points mentioned above.
You have a maximum of two weeks after moving in to issue the confirmation. With the confirmation, the tenant can then prove to us that he or she has moved in and register or change his or her address.
A tenancy agreement is not sufficient, as it does not fulfil the necessary requirements.
If you move into your residence as the owner, confirmation of your moving in acts as a form of self-declaration. As a rule, you do not have to provide proof of ownership during your visit. In individual cases, however, it may be necessary to provide evidence of your status as owner by means of appropriate proof (e.g. purchase agreement, entry in the land register).
Further information on registration and re-registration can be found here:
Registration, re-registration and deregistration of minors before the age of 16Internal Link
Registration of residenceInternal Link
Re-registration of residenceInternal Link
