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Housing · Germany
Updated September 2026

🐀 Rats, cockroaches or bedbugs — who do I report an infestation to?

Direct answer

In a rental the landlord deals with pests that come from the building — rats, cockroaches, mice — unless you demonstrably caused them; bedbugs are argued about everywhere, but the landlord still has to act. Report in writing. Ordnungsamt / Bürgeramt der Stadt (115) — the municipality — has a pest-control service or a duty to act on public-health grounds and handles rats in the street or in bins. Gesundheitsamt / Umweltamt (bmuv.de) inspects unhealthy housing and can order the landlord to treat. Mieterverein (Deutscher Mieterbund) (mieterbund.de) decides rent reduction if the home is partly unusable.

Call firstOrdnungsamt / Bürgeramt der Stadt
Report toGesundheitsamt / Umweltamt
If that failsMieterverein (Deutscher Mieterbund)

🗣️ What to say

"Since [date] there are [rats / cockroaches / bedbugs] at [address], photos attached. Please arrange professional pest control by [deadline] and find the source. Until the home is pest-free I reduce the rent by [%]."

🪜 Step by step

  1. DocumentPhotos, dates, where; bedbug bites and traces on the mattress; rat droppings and holes.
  2. Report to the landlord in writingWith a deadline. Ask for a professional company and for the source (drains, waste room, neighbour) to be dealt with.
  3. Municipality: Ordnungsamt / Bürgeramt der StadtFor rats outside and for landlords who do nothing; many cities treat rats for free.
  4. Inspection: Gesundheitsamt / UmweltamtEnvironmental health can declare the home unhealthy and order treatment.
  5. Rent reduction: Mieterverein (Deutscher Mieterbund)Backdated to the report, proportional to the rooms you cannot use.

📇 All contacts

Ordnungsamt / Bürgeramt der StadtPublic-order office: nuisances, noise, waste, registration, lost propertyFor anything the city regulates📞 115🔗 www.behoerdenfinder.de
Gesundheitsamt / UmweltamtEnvironmental health: housing hygiene, mould, pests, noise, pollutionWhen health is at risk at home or nearby🔗 www.bmuv.de
Mieterverein (Deutscher Mieterbund)Legal advice and representation for membersOnce the deadline has passed🔗 www.mieterbund.de/mieterverein-finden
VerbraucherzentraleFirst advice on deductions and deadlinesIf you are not a tenants' association member🔗 www.verbraucherzentrale.de

❓ Frequently asked

Bedbugs: who pays?

Practice varies. Most tenancy bodies make the landlord treat and only charge the tenant if the tenant clearly brought them in — which is very hard to prove.

The whole building is infested

Then it is the building's problem and the landlord must treat all flats at once; single-flat treatment fails. Tell Gesundheitsamt / Umweltamt — they can order a building-wide programme.

Can I break the lease?

If the home is unfit and the landlord will not act, an inspection report supports termination without notice in most countries.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “rats in rental landlord responsibility Germany”
  • “report pest infestation municipality”
  • “bedbugs landlord or tenant pays”
  • “cockroaches apartment who to call”
  • “rent reduction pests”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🦠Mould or damp→🔧Landlord won't repair→🔑Deposit not returned→🔊Noisy neighbours→

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