About to sign a German rental contract?

Want a rapid and accurate summary in English first?

You have a day at most to secure the apartment in Germany before it's gone.

It's hard knowing which bits of the German lease you really need to know about.

Get a two-page summary, ready within hours, for €‎ 169.

Sign on the dotted line with confidence and move in!

You can trust our legal translators to work quickly and accurately.

We’ll have your lease summary ready within 6 working hours.

€169 all-inclusive

Absolutely stunning in their level of efficiency, friendliness and customer service. I’m speechless …

Dr. Alex Maxwell, Berlin

Rental contracts in Germany can be a 2-page template with handwriting and checkboxes or a 30-page manifesto. A formal written translation can take days to complete.

You’re under time pressure and you can’t wait that long.

Our experienced legal translators read your contract from head to toe and extract the essentials. This saves you money and considerable time. We know you’re in a rush, which is why we will do it within 6 working hours of receiving payment.

Have you been offered a rental lease in Germany?

Here’s the information we’ll extract and summarise quickly:

Tenancy details

Landlord and agent details
Fixed term or unlimited
Furniture and storage space
Purpose (Zweck): residential or commercial?
Start and end dates
Renewal and termination terms

Tenant obligations

Repairs
Defects
Liabilities
Renovation
Vacating the premises

Rental payment and fees

Cold rent (Kaltmiete)
Operating & heating costs (Betriebskosten, Heizkosten)
Remittance details
Extra fees e.g. carpark
Key payment conditions
Payment frequency

Other essentials

Deposit (Kaution)
Handover (Übergabe)
Keeping pets
Keys

Quality work

Red Tape Translation has been around in Berlin since 2012. We’re known for being friendly, competent and reliable. We are a women-led business and our small, close-knit team loves helping you navigate red tape.

Experience

We’ve been interpreting and translating legal content for 10 years.

Expertise

Our translators are professionally trained and enjoy their work.

Punctuality

We’ll let you know when we can deliver reasonably and we’ll deliver on-time.

Empathy

We’ve been in your shoes.
We know it’s stressful and extremely time-sensitive.

Service

We are quick to respond and excellent at solving problems.

Results

You’ll feel informed, confident and relieved.

Professional, friendly, competent and efficient. That’s all you need to know.

MM A, Berlin

FAQs

1. Can you get it done within 6 working hours?
Yes. If you send us a German rental lease and your payment at 9am on a working day, we will send you the summary by 3pm. That gives you time to read it, sign it and send it back before close of business. As long as the hours are working hours (e.g. 9am to 5pm, Mon-Fri) we’ll get it done. If you send us a contract and payment at midnight during the week, we’ll start at 9am on the next working day and have it done by 3pm. If you send us a contract at 4pm on a Friday, we’ll have it summarised by 2pm on Monday afternoon.
2. What if I need it sooner?
We understand that sometimes, rental agencies and landlords put pressure on tenants to sign the contract on the same day. If you need it within an hour, it probably won’t be possible, but if you need it within say, 3 hours, please call 0156 7890 9800 or send us a WhatsApp (text only) and ask us if it’s possible. You never know.
3. Can I upload photos from my phone?
Yes. But please make sure your lease is scanned well so that there are no corners chopped off and we can zoom in to read handwritten entries or small print. If you have to squint to see information on the scan, we will probably need a better one.

You’re welcome to encrypt the lease and send us the password separately (e.g. by WhatsApp, email or telephone).
4. My lease is extremely short / I have a really tight budget. Can I have a discount?
The fee is the same, 169 EUR including VAT, regardless of the length of your tenancy agreement.

However, we do offer lower prices on some of our services for students, ALGI and ALGII recipients, so if you are enrolled as a student in Germany or you receive unemployment benefits or welfare, send us your enrolment certificate or “Bewilligungsbescheid” and we will apply a 15% discount.
5. My lease is extremely long. Will it cost extra?
The fee is the same, 169 EUR including VAT, regardless of the length of your tenancy agreement.
6. Can you tell me if my rental contract is legally sound?
No. Only a lawyer can make that assessment.
7. Can you alert me if something seems unusual?
If a clause catches our attention because we haven’t come across anything like it before in our many years of translating German rental leases, we’d be happy to bring it to your attention. Same applies if we spot a typo or error. We’ll point it out!
8. Will my summary be completed by a professional legal translator?
Yes. We specialise in legal translation and have received further education on tenancy agreements. Our extensive experience allows us to work carefully and quickly.