My landlord wants more than three months' deposit
The situation
A landlord is asking for a deposit of four, five, or six months' rent up front — or wants the whole sum in one lump before you get the keys. It strains your budget and you are unsure what is actually allowed.
The way out
German law caps the deposit — you do not have to accept more.
- The Kaution is capped at three months' cold rent (Kaltmiete) — rent without heating and utilities (§551 BGB). Anything above that is not enforceable.
- You may pay it in three monthly instalments. The first is due at the start of the tenancy; a demand for the full amount before move-in is not something the law requires of you.
- It must be held separately from the landlord's own money, in an account that earns interest for you — a private landlord pocketing it into their own account is doing it wrong.
- Get every euro in writing on the contract, and never hand over cash without a signed receipt naming it as Kaution.
- Pressure to overpay "or lose the flat" is a red flag — cross-check it against the housing-scam warning signs before you transfer anything.
Rule for next time: know the three-month rule before you view — it is one of the few tenant protections that is genuinely absolute.
General information, not legal advice. If your case has deadlines or legal stakes, free migration counselling (Migrationsberatung) exists in every city — use it.