Dirt caused by bats does not entitle you to a reduction in rent. A corresponding lawsuit before the district court of Starnberg was unsuccessful. The tenants of an apartment in Andechs, Upper Bavaria, complained about a bat roost in the roof from which droppings and urine fell onto their terrace, as a justice spokesman said on Monday. The tenants demanded the removal of the quarter and a rent reduction.
However, the court found that animals in rural areas were “local influences” that had to be accepted. A reduction in the quality of living is only present if the animals are significantly reproduced or bred. Witness statements and an expert also confirmed that there was not a large population of bats in the roof. A closure of the quarter was not readily permissible for reasons of nature conservation law. A health hazard could not be proven either. The court therefore considered the condition of a lack of rent as not fulfilled. The verdict is not yet legally binding.