Checklists for landlords

What makes these checklists different

Unlike a rigid PDF list, CIRO's checklists for landlords first ask about your situation, such as move-in or move-out, heating in the building or the type of rent. They hide what does not apply to you and turn your dates into concrete deadlines.

• Move-in or move-out, heating in the building, change of tenant during the year: the list only shows what applies to you.
• Your dates become a deadline such as “by 14.11.2026”.
• Many items link to the matching calculator or template.

Which checklist you need when

Which checklist you need depends on where you are in the tenancy: before your first letting, when tenants change, during the running tenancy or at the yearly close with the service charge statement and taxes. The nine lists cover these phases and refer to each other where the steps overlap.

• Before you start: the first letting checklist takes you from the land register entry to the first rent payment, the tenant selection checklist from the listing to the signature.
• When tenants change: the change of tenant checklist plans everything from the notice to the move-in, the flat handover checklist the appointment with protocol, meters and keys.
• During the tenancy: the rent increase checklist checks the waiting period and the cap, the rent arrears checklist orders the steps from reminder to termination.
• Every year: the service charge statement checklist keeps the twelve-month deadline, the landlord duties checklist the inspections at the property, the Anlage V checklist your tax return.

How the checklists calculate deadlines

The checklists calculate every deadline from a date you enter: the day a notice arrived, the end of the billing period, the move-in day or the due date of a rent payment. This reference date becomes a concrete deadline next to the item, and it changes as soon as you correct the date.

For a change of tenant, for example, the three-month notice period under § 573c BGB applies, and the month counts if the notice arrives by the third working day. For the service charge statement it is twelve months after the end of the billing period (§ 556 (3) BGB), for the landlord's confirmation of residence two weeks after move-in.

Some dates are not a statutory deadline but a sensible point in time, such as the payment reminder one week after the due date. In both cases the list gives you a date so you can plan.

How to use a checklist

You use a checklist in four steps, and none of them needs an account: enter your details, go through the adapted list, tick off what is done and download it as a PDF if needed. Your progress stays in your browser until you reset it.

1. Enter your details at the top, such as the date of the notice or whether there is central heating.
2. Read the list: it only shows the items that apply to you, with a date where there is one.
3. Tick off what is done; the list counts your progress.
4. Use “Download as PDF” to save or print the list, for example for the tenancy records.

Using checklists, calculators and templates together

The checklist tells you what comes next; the calculators for landlords answer the numbers question, and the templates for landlords provide the matching letter. If the list says “Settle service charges pro rata”, the link takes you straight to the change-of-tenant calculator.

Take a notice: it arrives, the list calculates the end of the tenancy, the notice confirmation tells your tenant the date, and the protocol for the handover is already waiting.

What the checklists do not replace

The checklists give you orientation and a complete order of steps, but they do not replace legal or tax advice. Some rules depend on the federal state: the state building code decides who maintains smoke alarms, and whether the cap on a rent increase is 20 or 15 % is set by a state ordinance for your municipality.

• For a termination without notice or an eviction claim, get legal advice before you act.
• For individual tax questions, consult a tax adviser.
• Each checklist shows the date it was last updated.