Federal Court of Justice, 28/09/2011, Ref.: VIII ZR 242/10
Pursuant to Section 554 (1) BGB, the tenant must tolerate measures that are necessary to maintain the rented property (maintenance measures). These measures include, in particular, maintenance and repairs, cosmetic repairs, but also work of a preventative nature or necessary preparatory measures.
§ Section 554 (2), (3) BGB concerns measures to improve the rented property. According to the judicial definition, modernisation measures are all structural changes to the rented property that increase the utility value within the scope of their purpose and enable better use.
Modernisation measures must be distinguished from maintenance measures, as maintenance measures are not apportionable and must therefore be borne entirely by the landlord.
The landlord must inform the tenant in text form of the type, expected scope and start, expected duration and the expected rent increase at least 3 months before the start of the modernisation measures in accordance with Section 554 (3) BGB.
The requirements for this notification have been increasingly lowered in recent years.
In the above-mentioned decision, the BGH once again had to decide on the requirements for the modernisation notification.
Facts of the Case:
The plaintiffs owned an apartment block in Munich together with other people.
The plaintiffs planned to install balconies on the west side of the house in dispute.
Landlords require tenants to install balconies
For this reason, they demanded that the defendant, who was the tenant of one of the flats concerned, tolerate the installation of the balconies.
For this reason, they informed the defendant in writing of the construction measures to be carried out, including "installation of heating and electrical installation in the affected wall area", the date of the planned start of construction, the planned construction period of 6 weeks and the amount of the expected rent increase.
Lower courts recognise landlords' right to acquiescence
At the same time, they informed the defendant that the construction work inside the flats would take five days plus painting work after a drying period of one week. The action for toleration of the construction work was successful in the lower courts.
Federal Court of Justice ruling
The tenant's appeal to the BGH against the lower court decisions was dismissed.
BGH confirmed that not every single measure must be described in the announcement.
The BGH ruled that the purpose pursued with the modernisation announcement does not require that every detail of the intended measures be described in the announcement and that every effect be communicated.
The announcement must provide the tenant with sufficient information about the way in which the flat will be changed by the modernisation and how it will affect the future use of the flat and the rent to be paid. For this purpose, it is sufficient if the announcement enables the tenant, who is familiar with the structural conditions of the flat, to form a realistic picture of the intended structural measures. The letter from the plaintiffs met these requirements.
The BGH thus confirms the trend that ever lower requirements are to be placed on the announcement
The BGH is thus following the general direction of case law in recent years that ever lower requirements are to be placed on the announcement of modernisation measures.
However, landlords should not rely on simple sample letters, but should commission a lawyer experienced in tenancy law to draft them.
Source: Federal Court of Justice
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