CALCULATOR
Notice period: get the date right, save a month of rent
Tenants can terminate with 3 months notice (§ 573c BGB). The trap is in the counting: a month only counts if the letter REACHES the landlord by the 3rd working day of that month (Saturday counts as a working day; Sundays and public holidays do not). One day late = one extra month of rent.
Note: this date is after the 3rd working day — that month no longer counts, result shifted by one month.
Calculation for standard open-ended residential leases, tenant-side termination (§ 573c BGB). Nationwide public holidays included; state holidays (e.g. 6 January in Bavaria) can shift the 3rd working day — when in doubt, deliver a day earlier. Not legal advice.
✓ Data verified on: 16 July 2026
All rates and thresholds follow the official figures published by the authorities:
Frequently asked questions
Does Saturday count as a working day for the notice period?
Yes. For § 573c BGB Saturday is a Werktag (Federal Court, VIII ZR 17/04); Sundays and public holidays are not. The 3rd working day therefore usually falls on the 3rd or 4th, after holidays sometimes the 5th.
Does the sending date or the arrival date count?
Only arrival (Zugang). A letter posted on the 1st but delivered on the 5th is late. Registered mail with return receipt proves the arrival date; hand delivery against signature is safest.
Can I get out faster than 3 months?
Not normally. Exceptions: a replacement-tenant agreement (voluntary for the landlord), special termination after a rent increase (§ 561 BGB), and cases like modernisation. Shorter contractual periods are allowed; longer ones against the tenant are void.
Does my landlord have the same notice period?
No. The landlord's period grows with tenancy length: 3, 6, then 9 months (§ 573c Abs. 1 BGB) — and they need a legal reason (e.g. Eigenbedarf).
What if my contract says something different?
Clauses worse than the law for the tenant are void (§ 573c Abs. 4). Exception: a valid waiver of termination (Kündigungsverzicht, up to 4 years) — check your contract.