Your room – care, mould & rules

Your room is your private living space, but remains part of the residence and your tenancy agreement. Here you will find practical guidance on furnishings, care, damp, alterations and reporting damage correctly.

Depending on the accommodation, the room may be furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished. The kitchen, bathroom, refrigerator and other equipment may belong to the room, a shared flat or communal areas. The official description of your residence, inventory, agreement and handover record are authoritative.

Clean the room and rented furnishings with suitable products. Do not block escape routes, radiators or safety equipment. Document existing damage when moving in; the standard agreement gives a 14-day reporting deadline for visible defects.

The official house rules prohibit smoking in communal spaces. Wider smoking restrictions for buildings or rooms may follow from your agreement or local rules. ¹⁾

Smoke alarms must not be removed, covered or tampered with. Report beeping or a fault through the designated technical route.

Damp or mould can have several causes. These include condensation from use, inadequate ventilation or heating, structural thermal bridges, leaks and other technical sources of moisture. A blanket assumption about responsibility is therefore inappropriate.

1. Document visible damp, leaks or mould early with the date and a photograph.
2. Report the defect through the tenant portal or the local route.
3. Ventilate thoroughly at regular intervals and do not cover radiators where this is appropriate to the situation.
4. Seek medical advice if you have health symptoms; the wiki cannot provide a diagnosis.

The German Environment Agency provides current guidance on energy-efficient heating and ventilation. This does not replace reporting a suspected structural or technical cause.

Drilling, painting, removing rented furniture and other alterations may require permission. Rules for your own electrical equipment also differ. Check your agreement and local rules, and obtain any required consent in advance.

If local rules allow rented furniture to be removed from the room temporarily, you are generally responsible for storing it somewhere dry and safe from damage. After prior agreement, residence management may be able to arrange storage; there is no general entitlement to this. At the end of the tenancy, all rented furniture must be complete, undamaged and back in the room. The inventory and handover record help identify the original items.

Do not open or repair fixed electrical, water or heating installations yourself. Take defective cables or appliances out of use if it is safe to do so.

The standard tenancy agreement, dated February 2026, requires tenants to maintain personal liability insurance and household contents insurance throughout the tenancy.

• Ordinary care: deal with it yourself using suitable products.
• Visible defect, damp or mould: document it and report it through the portal or to residence management.
• Immediate danger or a major water leak: keep your distance and protect yourself; use the local urgent technical route, or call 112 if people are in danger.