{"id":4340,"date":"2014-06-22T07:31:38","date_gmt":"2014-06-22T07:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/?p=4340"},"modified":"2025-10-28T06:34:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T06:34:19","slug":"mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/rental-law-the-correct-determination-of-rental-space-in-commercial-tenancy-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Rental Law: The Correct Determination of Rental Space in Commercial Tenancy Law"},"content":{"rendered":"

D\u00fcsseldorf Higher Regional Court, November 19, 2013, Case No.: 10 U 112\/13<\/strong><\/p>\n

The size of the leased property plays a crucial role in calculating the rent to be paid. According to established case law of the Federal Court of Justice, a deviation of more than 10% between the actual and the contractually agreed area results in a reduction of the rent and even entitles the tenant to terminate the lease without notice.<\/p>\n

According to estimates by the German Tenants\u2018 Association, the agreed area does not match the actual area in about one-third of rental agreements.<\/p>\n

There are various methods for calculating rental space. The method to be applied depends, among other things, on whether the lease concerns residential or commercial property. In the case of residential leases, the calculation is generally based on the Wohnfl\u00e4chenverordnung (WoFIV), or Residential Space Ordinance.<\/p>\n

For commercial leases, DIN 277 is primarily used. This standard serves to determine the floor area and volumes of buildings or parts of buildings in structural engineering. It is also used for calculating residential space, although this is generally disadvantageous for the tenant, as, for example, roof areas, balconies, and basement rooms are counted as 100% of the living area.<\/p>\n

In the above-mentioned ruling, the D\u00fcsseldorf Higher Regional Court dealt with the issue of area discrepancies and the determination of rental space by interpreting contractual agreements during the appeal proceedings.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Facts of the Case:<\/span><\/h2>\n

The parties had entered into a lease agreement for commercially used spaces in a multi-story building rented out to various companies.<\/p>\n

The lease agreement included the following provision:<\/p>\n

\u201eApproximately 789 square meters GFA are leased. \u2026 The rental area was calculated based on DIN 277. The basis is the calculation of the gross floor area (GFA) including internal technical areas and proportionate common areas. \u2026 The rent amounts to 789 x 36 DM\/sqm\u2026.\u201c<\/p>\n

<\/span>Tenant Demands a 30% Rent Reduction<\/span><\/h3>\n

The tenant argued that certain areas not allocated for the tenant\u2019s exclusive use should not be considered in the calculation of rent, even proportionately, and that there was thus a right to a 30% rent reduction. Consequently, the tenant reduced the rent by approximately \u20ac10,000 monthly over several years.<\/p>\n

The tenant also argued that the standard contract terms regarding the determination of rental area and rent were unclear and, therefore, invalid according to Section 305c, paragraph 2 of the German Civil Code (BGB).<\/p>\n

<\/span>First Instance Finds No Significant Area Discrepancy<\/span><\/h3>\n

A court-ordered expert report in the first instance revealed a rental area discrepancy far below 10%. As a result, the first-instance court ordered the tenant to pay the outstanding rent.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Decision of the D\u00fcsseldorf Higher Regional Court<\/span><\/h2>\n

<\/span>The Appellate Court Also Finds No Significant Area Discrepancy<\/span><\/h3>\n

The D\u00fcsseldorf Higher Regional Court confirmed the first-instance decision and ruled that the tenant was obliged to pay the outstanding rent.<\/p>\n

Regarding future rent payments, the court also determined that the rent should not be reduced. Generally, a deviation of more than 10% between the actual area of a commercial rental property and the contractually agreed area constitutes a defect that justifies a rent reduction.<\/p>\n

However, the tenant could not demonstrate and prove a defect in the rental property in the form of an area discrepancy of over 10%. This was to the tenant\u2019s detriment.<\/p>\n

<\/span>No Invalid Provisions in the Lease Agreement<\/span><\/h3>\n

Furthermore, the lease agreement provisions were valid, contrary to the tenant\u2019s view. The terms \u201egross floor area,\u201c \u201einternal technical area,\u201c and \u201eproportionate common areas\u201c are to be interpreted as \u201egross floor area,\u201c \u201etechnical function areas,\u201c and \u201ecirculation areas\u201c according to DIN 277. Since this results in a clear interpretation, the contractual provisions are not invalid due to ambiguity according to Section 305c, paragraph 2 BGB.<\/p>\n

There was also no evidence of any unreasonable disadvantage to the tenant or any violation of the transparency requirement. Tenants, particularly in representative buildings with spacious, architecturally appealing staircases, lobbies, and other \u201ecommon areas,\u201c must expect that these will generally be reflected in the rent.<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Conclusion: Rent reductions due to area discrepancies must be carefully examined in advance. Otherwise, it may result in a payment order and possibly even an eviction order.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong> Source: D\u00fcsseldorf Higher Regional Court<\/p>\n

Important Note: The content of this article has been prepared to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, due to the complexity and constant evolution of the subject matter, we must exclude liability and warranty.<\/strong> Important Notice: The content of this article has been created to the best of our knowledge and understanding. However, due to the complexity and constant changes in the subject matter, we must exclude any liability and warranty.<\/p>\n

If you need legal advice, feel free to contact us at 0221 \u2013 80187670 or send us an email at If you require legal advice, feel free to call us at 0221 \u2013 80187670 or send us an email at If you need employment law advice, feel free to call us at 0221 \u2013 80187670 or send an email to info@mth-partner.de.. info@mth-partner.de<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lawyers in Cologne provide advice and representation in tenancy law.<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Areas for commercial properties are often calculated in accordance with DIN 277, which is based solely on the floor area (gross and net area) and distinguishes between usable, circulation and functional areas.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[2801,1255,1259],"class_list":["post-4340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mietrecht-rechtsanwalt","tag-mietflaechenberechnung-nach-wohnflaechenverordnung","tag-mietminderung-irrtumlich","tag-mietminderung-wegen-larmbelastigung"],"yoast_head":"\nMietrecht: Die korrekte Bestimmung der Mietfl\u00e4che im Gewerbemietrecht<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bei der Gewerberaummiete wird f\u00fcr die Fl\u00e4chenberechnung vorrangig die DIN 277\u201eGrundfl\u00e4chen und Rauminhalte von Bauwerken im Hochbau\u201c angewendet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/rental-law-the-correct-determination-of-rental-space-in-commercial-tenancy-law\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mietrecht: Die korrekte Bestimmung der Mietfl\u00e4che im Gewerbemietrecht\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bei der Gewerberaummiete wird f\u00fcr die Fl\u00e4chenberechnung vorrangig die DIN 277\u201eGrundfl\u00e4chen und Rauminhalte von Bauwerken im Hochbau\u201c angewendet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/rental-law-the-correct-determination-of-rental-space-in-commercial-tenancy-law\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rechtsanwaltskanzlei\u00a0Tieben\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100054481000178\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-06-22T07:31:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-28T06:34:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zivilrecht-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"helmer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mth_Tieben\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mth_Tieben\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"helmer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rental Law: The Correct Determination of Rental Space in Commercial Tenancy Law","description":"In the case of commercial leases, DIN 277 \"Floor area and volume of buildings in structural engineering\" is primarily used to calculate floor space","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/rental-law-the-correct-determination-of-rental-space-in-commercial-tenancy-law\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mietrecht: Die korrekte Bestimmung der Mietfl\u00e4che im Gewerbemietrecht","og_description":"Bei der Gewerberaummiete wird f\u00fcr die Fl\u00e4chenberechnung vorrangig die DIN 277\u201eGrundfl\u00e4chen und Rauminhalte von Bauwerken im Hochbau\u201c angewendet","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/rental-law-the-correct-determination-of-rental-space-in-commercial-tenancy-law\/","og_site_name":"Rechtsanwaltskanzlei\u00a0Tieben","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100054481000178","article_published_time":"2014-06-22T07:31:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-28T06:34:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zivilrecht-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"helmer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mth_Tieben","twitter_site":"@mth_Tieben","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"helmer","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/"},"author":{"name":"helmer","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#\/schema\/person\/fbcf627706a8a6151cec2217af8c74b3"},"headline":"Mietrecht: Die korrekte Bestimmung der Mietfl\u00e4che im Gewerbemietrecht","datePublished":"2014-06-22T07:31:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-28T06:34:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/"},"wordCount":747,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zivilrecht-1.jpg","keywords":["Mietfl\u00e4chenberechnung nach Wohnfl\u00e4chenverordnung","Mietminderung irrt\u00fcmlich","Mietminderung wegen L\u00e4rmbel\u00e4stigung"],"articleSection":["Zivilrecht"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/","name":"Rental Law: The Correct Determination of Rental Space in Commercial Tenancy Law","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zivilrecht-1.jpg","datePublished":"2014-06-22T07:31:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-28T06:34:19+00:00","description":"In the case of commercial leases, DIN 277 \"Floor area and volume of buildings in structural engineering\" is primarily used to calculate floor space","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zivilrecht-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zivilrecht-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":600,"caption":"Zivilrecht"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/mietrecht-die-korrekte-bestimmung-der-mietflaeche-im-gewerbemietrecht\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Zivilrecht","item":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/category\/mietrecht-rechtsanwalt\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Mietrecht: Die korrekte Bestimmung der Mietfl\u00e4che im Gewerbemietrecht"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/","name":"Law firm Tieben","description":"Lawyer Tieben \/ Law firm Cologne","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#organization","name":"Law firm Tieben","url":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo.png","width":254,"height":52,"caption":"Rechtsanwaltskanzlei\u00a0Tieben"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100054481000178","https:\/\/x.com\/mth_Tieben","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/helmer-tieben-09570226"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/#\/schema\/person\/fbcf627706a8a6151cec2217af8c74b3","name":"helmer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3308295754604f18007cf9e14e5984d1b864d3edea19e3681ff8c9354cd73e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3308295754604f18007cf9e14e5984d1b864d3edea19e3681ff8c9354cd73e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3308295754604f18007cf9e14e5984d1b864d3edea19e3681ff8c9354cd73e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"helmer"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4340"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8604,"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4340\/revisions\/8604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}