German rental law: Survivors automatically inherit lease agreements

In Germany, survivors of a tenant who shared a long-term household automatically step into the existing rental agreement. According to legal precedents, such as a ruling by the Kammergericht Berlin, this transition occurs even if only the deceased person was named on the contract.

However, survivors are advised to contact the landlord promptly. Failure to disclose the death or being deemed an unreasonable tenant—for instance, due to late rent payments—can provide grounds for extraordinary termination by the landlord. Beyond partners, children or other relatives may also inherit the right to the lease if no partner is available or chooses to do so.