New registration law from 1 November 2015
Important information for landlords and homeowners
On 1 November 2015, the Federal Registration Act (BMG) will come into force and replace the Saxon Registration Act previously in force in the Free State of Saxony. German registration law will thus be standardised nationwide.
One of the most important changes is the reintroduction of the obligation to co-operate on the part of the landlord or owner of the flat. In future, when registering or deregistering at the registration office, the person obliged to register must present a confirmation issued by the landlord or flat owner.
A landlord within the meaning of the law is someone who actually lets another person use a flat. As a rule, this will be the owner as landlord of the flat or a person authorised by him. In the case of subletting, the landlord is the main tenant.
In future, the certificate from the landlord will be required both when moving into a flat, but also when moving out of a flat, if the residence is moved abroad, if a secondary residence is to be deregistered or if no new flat is moved into in Germany (for the time being), e.g. in the event of homelessness.
From 1 November 2015, landlords are therefore obliged to provide those obliged to register with a corresponding confirmation when moving in or out so that they can register or deregister with the registration office within the statutory period of two weeks.
The tenancy agreement does not replace the confirmation required by law, as it does not usually contain all the necessary information.
To enable landlords to take organisational and, if necessary, technical measures in advance of 1 November 2015 in order to meet the legal requirements that will then apply, the City of Chemnitz has already provided important information and a sample landlord confirmation on its website at www.chemnitz.de.