Large apartment, low rent: A rental agreement is valid even after death; partners and descendants can take it over. That can be lucky – but there is no guarantee of success.
If a tenant dies, he or she always leaves behind one thing: a valid rental agreement. Once an agreement for private living space has been concluded, it does not automatically end with death. “Co-tenants don’t have to worry that the landlord can give notice overnight or quickly increase the rent,” says Jutta Hartmann from the German Tenants’ Association. For now everything continues as usual.