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A neighbour camera pointing at your property in Germany: where the permission ends, what Überwachungsdruck means, the § 1004 BGB injunction, and which authority is competent.
How a German Aufhebungsvertrag works, why it usually triggers a 12 week Sperrzeit on unemployment benefit, and what severance, tax and reference terms to settle before signing.
When a business in Germany needs an Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag, the mandatory contents of an AVV under Art. 28 Abs. 3 DSGVO, how sub-processors work, and which authority supervises it.
Beleidigung under § 185 StGB explained: what counts as criminal insult, the aggravated tiers, § 193 and § 199 StGB, the three month Strafantrag deadline, and how a Strafanzeige is actually filed.
Whether a secretly made recording is admissible in Germany is decided by a balancing of the general personality right against effective legal protection, not by § 34 StGB. What the BGH dashcam ruling settled.
Germany's THC driving limit explained: 3.5 ng/ml under § 24a StVG, zero tolerance for new drivers, the alcohol combination rule, and when an MPU applies.
The KCanG explained: the 25 g and 50 g possession limits, three plants, the § 5 KCanG consumption restrictions, the Ordnungswidrigkeit band and the point at which § 34 KCanG turns possession into a criminal offence.
Under § 1684 BGB a German child has a right of contact with each parent, and each parent is both entitled and obliged to have it. How Umgangsrecht actually works, including supervised contact and enforcement.
Are dashcams allowed in Germany? What the DSGVO and the BGH decision VI ZR 233/17 actually say about continuous recording, and when dashcam footage can be used as evidence.
German data protection explained: how the DSGVO and the BDSG fit together, which authority supervises your organisation under § 40 BDSG, and when a Datenschutzbeauftragter is required.
When a German organisation must appoint a Datenschutzbeauftragter. Both limbs of § 38 BDSG, including the trigger that ignores headcount, the DSGVO grounds, internal versus external appointment, and the removal protection in § 6 BDSG.
German data protection supervision is split by entity type, not shared. § 40 Abs. 1 BDSG gives non-public bodies to the Länder and § 9 Abs. 1 BDSG confines the BfDI. The seventeen Land authorities, and how a Datenschutzbeschwerde works.
How to disclaim a German inheritance: the six-week deadline under § 1944 BGB, when it extends to six months, the strict Nachlassgericht form required, and the risk to a disclaiming parent's own children.
What a Kündigung from your employer in Germany means: the three week deadline to challenge it, who the KSchG protects, and what to check first.
German divorce costs are not a flat fee. See how the Verfahrenswert under § 43 FamGKG drives both court and lawyer fees, the KostBRÄG 2025 fee increase, and a full worked example.
How German divorce actually works: the mandatory Trennungsjahr under §§ 1565 and 1566 BGB, living apart under one roof, the automatic pension split (Versorgungsausgleich), who needs a lawyer, and the practical filing sequence.
The full 2026 Duesseldorfer Tabelle with all 15 income groups and four age bands, plus the Kindergeld deduction, Selbstbehalt and Mangelfall rules that set actual German child support.
Germany treats rental e-scooters as motor vehicles, not bicycles: the eKFV sets a 14 year minimum age, a mandatory insurance sticker, and car level alcohol limits.
How the Eigenbedarfskündigung works under § 573 Abs. 2 Nr. 2 BGB: who counts as family, the notice periods, the tenant's hardship objection, the condominium conversion Sperrfrist, and the risk of a feigned need.
How to challenge a German Bußgeldbescheid: the two-week Einspruch deadline under § 67 OWiG, the cost risk if it fails, and when a challenge is genuinely worth it.
Elternzeit and Elterngeld explained: employer notice deadlines, dismissal protection, part time work rules, and the two stage 2024/2025 income cap.
How Kündigung of a German residential tenancy actually works: the fixed three month tenant notice period, the landlord's scaling period under § 573c BGB, and the grounds a landlord needs.
Zugewinngemeinschaft is Germany's default marital property regime, but it is not community of property. See how the Zugewinnausgleich actually works, with a full worked example of the Ausgleichsforderung.
Erbrecht explained for the whole cluster: universal succession, the six-week disclaimer deadline, the compulsory share, will formalities, intestate succession, and inheritance and gift tax allowances.
Familienrecht explained for the whole cluster: the Familiengericht, the Trennungsjahr and divorce, Zugewinnausgleich, spousal and child maintenance, and custody and contact rights.
A copyright Abmahnung over filesharing in Germany, explained: § 97a UrhG, the 1,000 euro Gegenstandswert cap, how § 101 UrhG identified you, and what the enclosed Unterlassungserklärung does.
How to file a Strafanzeige under § 158 StPO, why a Strafantrag has a three month deadline under § 77b StGB, how the Staatsanwaltschaft decides, the Einstellung routes and the Klageerzwingungsverfahren.
What a Führungszeugnis contains under § 32 BZRG, when a conviction is left out, the erweitertes Führungszeugnis under § 30a BZRG, the periods in § 34 BZRG, and how to apply for 13,00 Euro.
German criminal law explained: what the Führungszeugnis shows under § 32 BZRG, how a Strafanzeige works, the limits of Notwehr under § 32 StGB, and the weapons, knife and cannabis rules.
Arbeitsrecht explained: a federal system, the Arbeitsgericht courts, the three week dismissal deadline, notice periods, minimum wage and Minijob, vacation, sick leave and severance.
How German inheritance tax (Erbschaftsteuer) works: the § 16 ErbStG allowances, the § 19 ErbStG rate table, the family home exemption, and a free calculator.
How German law actually works: the codes that hold the rules, why almost everything is federal rather than state law, which court hears what, and the values that change every January and July.
German recording law in one map: § 201 StGB for the spoken word, § 201a and § 184k StGB for images, the DSGVO and BDSG for data, and the separate question of whether a court will admit the recording.
Mietrecht explained: why German tenancy law is strongly tenant-protective, notice periods, the deposit cap, rent increase limits, the Mietpreisbremse, and where to find each rule in depth.
Verkehrsrecht explained: the federal Bußgeldkatalog, Fahrverbot versus losing your licence, the 8 point system, drink and drug driving limits, and the two week deadline to challenge a fine.
Germany's drink driving limits explained: the 0.5 promille line under § 24a StVG, the judge-made 1.1 promille criminal threshold, and zero tolerance for new and young drivers.
How a German Fahrverbot works under § 25 StVG: how long a driving ban lasts, when it starts, what happens if you drive during it, and how it differs from a full Entziehung der Fahrerlaubnis.
How German statutory notice periods actually work under § 622 BGB: four weeks for employees, a graduated scale up to seven months for employers, worked date examples, probation, and fristlose Kündigung.
How German statutory annual leave works under § 3 BUrlG: the Werktage to Arbeitstage conversion, the six month Wartezeit, carry over and the 31 March deadline, the employer notice rules that stop leave lapsing, and when unused days can be paid out.
How Germany's federal Bußgeldkatalog-Verordnung sets speeding fines nationwide, how points and Fahrverbot actually attach, and the two week deadline to challenge a fine.
How German intestate succession actually works: the three Ordnungen under § 1924 ff. BGB, the spouse's share under § 1931 BGB, and why the extra quarter under § 1371 BGB depends on the marital property regime.
German warranty rights explained: what counts as a Sachmangel under § 434 BGB, the § 437 remedy order, the two year period in § 438 BGB, the 12 month proof reversal in § 477, used goods and private sales.
How German gift tax works: the shared allowances with inheritance tax, the ten year rule under § 14 ErbStG, the spousal home exemption, and usufruct planning.
How § 23 Abs. 1a StVO bans phone and device use while driving in Germany, the actual fine and point figures from the current Bußgeldkatalog, and the Probezeit and Fahrverbot exposure.
How close to the boundary a hedge or tree may stand in Germany is Land law, not the BGB. A Bundesland by Bundesland table, the § 910 BGB self help right and its limits, and the Ausschlussfristen that end a Rückschnitt claim.
German dog law explained: the narrow federal layer, why dangerous breed lists and lead rules differ in all 16 Länder, Tierhalterhaftung under § 833 BGB, Hundesteuer, insurance and the Tierschutz-Hundeverordnung.
How German debt collection works: registration under the RDG, what an Inkasso agency can actually charge, why it has no enforcement power of its own, and disputing a claim.
Secretly recording a conversation in Germany is a criminal offence under § 201 StGB, punishable by up to three years or a fine. What nichtöffentlich means, when consent helps, and the civil exposure.
Which knives may be carried in Germany under § 42a WaffG, the 12 cm blade threshold, the Einhandmesser rule, and what the 2024 Sicherheitspaket actually changed for events, long distance transport and Messerverbotszonen.
The three week deadline to file a Kündigungsschutzklage, what happens if you miss it, how the Güteverhandlung works, and why most cases settle rather than go to judgment.
Neighbour noise in Germany explained: the § 906 BGB test for a wesentliche Beeinträchtigung, the § 1004 BGB Unterlassungsanspruch, how to keep a Lärmprotokoll, when the Ordnungsamt is the right address, and the tenancy route.
There is no federal Leinenpflicht in Germany. Lead rules come from Land law, municipal Ordnungen and nature protection rules, and § 833 BGB makes a dog keeper strictly liable without fault.
Which dog breeds count as dangerous in Germany, why the federal import ban under § 2 HundVerbrEinfG is not a keeping ban, and a Land by Land table of the Rasselisten with the governing Landesgesetz.
How wage garnishment works under § 850c ZPO: the protected minimum from 1 July 2026, the P-Konto, priority among creditors, and the harsher maintenance rules under § 850d ZPO.
How the German Mahnverfahren works: the two week Widerspruch deadline on a Mahnbescheid, the Vollstreckungsbescheid that follows if you do nothing, and its thirty year enforceability.
How a German landlord raises rent under § 558 and § 559 BGB: the 20 or 15 percent Kappungsgrenze, how comparable rent is proven, and the modernisation surcharge caps.
How the German security deposit works under § 551 BGB: the three month cap, paying in instalments, the separate account rule, what can be deducted, and getting it back.
How Mietminderung works under § 536 BGB: why it applies automatically by law rather than by permission, why the percentage tables online are case law and not a tariff, and the arrears risk of getting the amount wrong.
The Minijob ceiling is 603 euro a month for 2026, calculated from the minimum wage. How the formula works, the two Minijob types, pension insurance and exemption, and the Midijob range above it.
Germany's minimum wage is 13.90 euro an hour from 1 January 2026, rising to 14.60 euro in 2027. Who is excluded, how the Minijob limit is calculated from it, and how it is enforced.