Möblierungszuschlag calculator
How high may the surcharge for a furnished flat in Germany be? The law sets no formula today. The calculator shows the current value of the furnishings, the loss in value per month and the limits in the 2026 government bill.
Estimate the surcharge
There is no fixed number. 10 years is a starting value; adjust it to your furnishings.
Enter at least the purchase price and the lifespan.
This calculator gives initial guidance and is not legal advice. The current value is a straight-line estimate; courts judge the individual case. It is based on German tenancy law.
How the Möblierungszuschlag is set today
In German law a furnished flat is an ordinary rented flat. Where the Mietpreisbremse applies, the rent at the start may be at most 10 % above the local reference rent (§ 556d BGB). A reasonable surcharge for furniture let with the flat is allowed; there is no fixed formula for it.
The yardstick is the current value of the furnishings: what they are worth today, not what they cost. Fittings the Mietspiegel already counts, such as a fitted kitchen, are not counted twice. Only accommodation let for temporary use is exempt from the Mietpreisbremse (§ 549 Abs. 2 Nr. 1 BGB).
What the 2026 bill would change
The federal government adopted a tenancy-law reform bill in April 2026, and the Bundestag gave it a first reading on 9 July 2026. Under it, the surcharge would be based on the furniture's current value, at most 1 % of that value per month. For fully furnished flats, up to 10 % of the net cold rent would be presumed reasonable.
The surcharge would have to be stated before the lease is signed. If not, the flat would at first count as unfurnished when the permitted rent is checked. As of September 2026 none of this is law yet.
Proving the surcharge
Landlord or tenant: in a Rüge, what matters is what is really in the flat and in what condition. An Inventarliste with year of purchase and price shows the inventory; photos from move-in show the condition.
The same records later decide the Kaution. Tenants do not pay for normal wear on furniture (§ 538 BGB), and for real damage the current value is owed, not the price new.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a statutory formula for the Möblierungszuschlag?
Not today. The surcharge has to match the value of the furniture; the usual starting point is the current value of the furnishings. A 2026 bill would cap it at 1 % of current value per month, but it is not yet in force.
Can I charge a furniture surcharge under the Mietpreisbremse?
Yes. The surcharge goes on top of the permitted rent, which is at most 10 % above the local reference rent (§ 556d BGB). It has to match the value of the furniture actually in the flat.
What is the current value?
What the furniture is worth today, not what it cost. The calculator estimates it on a straight line: purchase price times the remaining share of its lifespan.
Does the fitted kitchen count?
Only if the Mietspiegel does not already count it as a fitting. Whatever is in the reference rent is not counted twice.
Do I have to state the surcharge separately?
Not today, but it lets you justify it if the tenant files a Rüge. Under the 2026 bill it would become mandatory, and otherwise the flat would at first count as unfurnished when the rent is checked.