Is your rent in Frankfurt too high?
Think your rent was too high when your tenancy began? We offer a completely free initial assessment. We will tell you whether, in our view, it is worth pursuing a claim against your landlord for excessive rent. You can request an assessment regardless of when your tenancy agreement was signed. Which rules apply depends on the dates relevant to your tenancy agreement and the period covered by your claim.
What you get from the initial assessment
We review the information you provide about your tenancy agreement, home and agreed rent. We consider the Frankfurt rent index for the relevant period, any statutory exceptions and the legal position in Hesse. We then give you our preliminary view on whether it is worth pursuing a claim against your landlord for excessive rent. Any further work falls outside the free initial assessment.
How the initial assessment works
Tell us about your tenancy
Answer the questions about your home, tenancy agreement and rent.
We assess the legal position
We check which rules may apply to the relevant period and whether any particular circumstances or exceptions need to be considered.
Receive our assessment
We advise you on whether, in our view, it is worth pursuing a claim against your landlord for excessive rent.
When the rent cap may apply
When a home is let to a new tenant in an area validly designated as having a tight housing market, the rent must generally be no more than ten per cent above the local reference rent. This rule is known as the Mietpreisbremse. However, the date of the agreement and any exceptions are crucial. Exceptions may include a lawful previous rent, certain modernisation work, a home first occupied and let after 1 October 2014, or the first letting after extensive modernisation.
The Frankfurt rent index is only part of the assessment
Frankfurt’s 2026 rent index (qualifizierter Mietspiegel) has applied since 25 June 2026. It can help establish the local reference rent. However, assessing your tenancy agreement may also require consideration of the relevant period, the previous rent, modernisation work, statutory exceptions and the applicable version of Hesse’s Tenant Protection Ordinance. A result from the city’s rent index calculator therefore does not answer every legal question.
Questions about Frankfurt’s rent cap
Is the initial assessment really free?
Yes. The initial assessment is completely free. Any further work is outside its scope.
Which tenancy agreements do you assess?
We do not exclude an agreement from the initial assessment solely because of its date. However, which rules apply and whether you have a claim depend on the dates relevant to your tenancy agreement and the period covered by your claim.
What will the assessment tell me?
We tell you whether, in our view, it is worth pursuing a claim against your landlord for excessive rent.
Is it certain that the rent cap currently applies in Frankfurt?
The extension of Hesse’s Tenant Protection Ordinance is currently disputed. Two published judgments of the Frankfurt Local Court hold it to be invalid. The Hessian state government takes the opposite view and is preparing a revised version. The legal position must therefore be checked for the period concerned.
Is the Frankfurt rent index calculator enough?
The calculator can help establish the local reference rent. It does not answer every legal question, such as those concerning the previous rent, modernisation, exceptions or the ordinance applicable to your period.
Does sending an enquiry count as meeting a deadline or formally challenging my rent?
No. The enquiry is only for an initial assessment. It does not constitute a statement to your landlord, stop a deadline from running or replace the action needed to meet it.
Is it worth challenging excessive rent?
We offer a completely free initial assessment and tell you whether, in our view, it is worth pursuing a claim against your landlord for excessive rent.
Request a free initial assessmentLegal services are provided by advokio Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH.