About
I sued my landlord on move-in day
Why this exists
I moved to Berlin from the US. On the day I got the keys to my new apartment, I discovered my rent was hundreds of euros above the legal ceiling. I joined a Mieterverein, got a lawyer through my Rechtsschutzversicherung, and filed a claim before I'd even unpacked. My rent went down. I got money back. The system worked. But I only knew to check because I'd spent weeks reading German tenancy law. Most people don't do that. Especially if German isn't their first language.
The information gap
The data to check whether a rent is too high is public. The Mietspiegel is published by the city. The law is on the books. But actually using that data takes time, legal German, and a willingness to cross-reference tables by hand. Landlords know this. That's why overcharging is so common - not because the law is weak, but because most tenants never look.
What Rentkompass does
Rentkompass takes a listing (or an address and a few details) and estimates the Mietpreisbremse ceiling. It cross-references the official Mietspiegel, the Straßenverzeichnis, and the apartment's features to produce a number. That number is an estimate, not a legal ruling. But it tells you whether the asking rent is in the right ballpark or way above it.
What Rentkompass does not do
Rentkompass is not a law firm, not a claims service, and not a Mieterverein. It does not send letters to landlords, file legal claims, or represent you in court. If your rent looks too high, a Mieterverein or a Mietrecht lawyer is the right next step. Rentkompass gives you the number so you know whether that step is worth taking.
The data
Every calculation is based on the official Mietspiegel - the same data courts use to adjudicate rent disputes. For Berlin, that's the Berliner Mietspiegel 2024, a qualified rent index with 163 rows and 13,922 street entries. We do not use proprietary data, estimates from other platforms, or machine-learning models. The methodology is transparent and documented.
Rentkompass provides estimates based on publicly available data. It is not legal advice. For a binding assessment, consult a Mieterverein or lawyer.