Hello, I'm a foreigner living in Darmstadt in a WG.
Before I moved in the old tenant had damaged the window and I'm stuck looking for a way to fix it.
It was fine during the handover but 10 days after I signed the contract the guy said he accidentally broke the window and has even since refused to take any responsibility to get it fixed.
When this happened the main tenant was not present in the building but he acknowledged that it was the old guy's fault and not mine. Somehow the thing got delayed further and further, every attempt of mine to try to get the main tenant to help with fixing it has been futile (my German skills and understanding of the law are poor).
The landlord has been clear that they want to let us tenants handle his between us and not interfere.
However now that I'm moving out 3 years later the issue had come up again and the main tenant is not ready to sign the contract unless the window crack is fixed. I agree that it wasn't his fault as well and he doesn't want to deal with it. But it wasn't my fault either and hhe is being very uncooperative and doesn't want to share the cost of the repair.
So to try to make my own life easier I'm thinking of getting it fixed myself before moving out. And if anyone could please kindly help with where I can find an estimate for a crack this size and what agency I can contact would be really appreciated.
Thank you so much!
by annie-kin
13 comments
Do you have insurance?
That window needs to be replaced completely by a window maker.
Maybe hausverwaltung has it covered in their insurance?
Fixing that window will mean glass replacement. I have rough numbers for Germany. 300€ for the glass and about 200€ for the labor. You can always try to fit it yourself to save the labor cost if you’re a bit of a DIY guy.
Why can’t you tell the main tenant that you are leaving everything in the room in the same state you received it in, so it’s not your problem to fix a window broken before you moved in? When you moved in, did you have a handover protocol with this crack mentioned? This is a separate document from the contract. Contract can be signed a few weeks before moving in, but the handover protocol is signed at the time of move in, after all the ‘faults’ mentioned on it. Your best option would be to stick to saying it was damaged before you moved in and the main tenant knows this so let him handle it.
Wait sorry… I read again and how the hell is this not the landlords problem??? Maybe talk to a lawyer?
Window repair isn’t really your responsibility. The landlord needs to fix it. They might of course go after you for damages, assuming there is no damage protocol from when you moved in. Reasonably common fix but also surprisingly expensive.
I broke my bathroom window years ago, I dismounted the whole window and took it to a glaziers workshop..glas was roughly half the size and I paid 140 euros…just for the glass and mounting it in the frame… I brought the whole window to the workshop by myself…and let me tell you, windows are fucking heavy…
I would call the 500 euro someone mentioned around realistic…in 2014 figures in a big west german city…
Regarding availability and pricing of professionals these days u better prepare to get your anus widened financially
German Handwerker, 2000 Euros.
Polish Handwerker, 500 Euros.
I would humbly estimate.
So after the handover the guy came into your room and broke the window?!
Why would you fix it then?
Why exactly had the previous tenant access to your window after doing a handover?
Just look for a glass cuting company buy the glass, around 150€ depends on size and replace it your self. Tho i think not sure if its in your contract the same as in mine but the landlord is responsible for covering damages over 79€
this looks like a thermal stress break and the landlord would be responsible for fixing this, not you.
To be sure, you would have to remove the glass retaining profile and look at the origin of the cracks.
If the origin is a single crack 90° perpendicular to the edge, then it is a thermal stress break.
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