Short Answer
A landlord who refuses to sign your residence confirmation is breaking federal law.
If they withhold this document, it usually means your living arrangement is unauthorized and illegal.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You rented a room from a friendly main tenant who kept making excuses about why they couldn't give you the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. When you finally reported the delay to the Bürgeramt, the clerk flagged the arrangement as potentially illegal, triggering an investigation that caused your main tenant to panic and immediately terminate your contract. You lost your €1,200 deposit and were forced into emergency temporary housing.
What To Do
- Send a formal written demand to your landlord via registered mail (Einschreiben) specifying a 7-day deadline.
- Present the proof of this communication trail to the Bürgeramt clerk if the deadline passes without a signature.
- "Mein Vermieter weigert sich, das Formular auszufüllen." (My landlord refuses to fill out the form.) — state this clearly to the clerk to initiate an official investigation against the landlord.
The Truth
The system uses the registration process to track tax evasion and illegal housing exploitation. Germany holds landlords legally accountable, but the immediate consequence of an illegal sublet falls entirely on the tenant.