Short Answer
Your landlord is legally forbidden from entering your rented flat without your explicit permission and a minimum of 24 to 48 hours of advance notice. You possess absolute domestic authority over the premises the moment your contract begins.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You came home from work and found a maintenance note on your kitchen table from a landlord who used their own spare key to enter while you were out. You accepted the intrusion quietly because you didn't want to cause trouble or risk your lease renewal. You lost your absolute right to privacy and peace of mind in your own home because you didn't realize the owner had crossed a criminal boundary.
What To Do
- Buy a standard lock cylinder from a local hardware store.
- Open your front door, remove the center screw, and exchange the old lock with your new cylinder so only you have working keys.
- "Sie haben kein Recht, meine Wohnung ohne meine Erlaubnis zu betreten." (You have no right to enter my apartment without my permission.) — email this to your landlord if they attempt an unauthorized visit.
The Truth
German landlords often view themselves as caretakers of the property and forget that the tenant has absolute privacy rights. It's a classic power struggle between property ownership and civil rights.