Glossary
Wohnfläche
Wohnfläche: Wohnfläche (German for 'living area', i.e. living space) is the legally defined habitable floor area of a home in Germany, measured in square metres under the Wohnflächenverordnung (WoFlV). It sets the rent, the purchase price, and how service charges are split.
What is Wohnfläche (living area)?
Wohnfläche is the German term for living area or living space: the legally defined, usable floor area of a home, measured in square metres. It is the basis for the rent, the purchase price, the service-charge statement (Nebenkostenabrechnung), and property valuation. The calculation rests on the Wohnflächenverordnung (WoFlV, the Living Space Ordinance), in force since 1 January 2004.
Watch out: Wohnfläche and Grundfläche (gross floor area) are not the same. The Grundfläche is the bare floor area of every room, measured wall to wall. The Wohnfläche comes out smaller because certain areas count only partly or not at all. It also differs from the Nutzfläche (usable area): Nutzfläche is a term from DIN 277 and covers all usable areas of a building, including commercial rooms, cellars, and plant rooms. The Wohnfläche under the WoFlV applies to residential space only.
With older buildings (Altbauten) and commercial properties, DIN 277 is sometimes still used. For rental and purchase contracts on residential property in Germany, the WoFlV is the governing standard.
What counts towards the Wohnfläche?
| Area | Counted as |
|---|---|
| Living room, bedroom, children's room | 100% |
| Kitchen | 100% |
| Bathroom, WC | 100% |
| Hallway, entrance hall | 100% |
| Storage room inside the flat | 100% |
| Fitted wardrobes | 100% |
| Balcony, terrace, loggia | 25% (up to 50% possible) |
| Conservatory (unheated) | 50% |
| Conservatory (heated) | 100% |
| Cellar outside the flat | not counted |
| Garage | not counted |
| Laundry room, boiler room | not counted |
| Commercially used rooms | not counted |
Special rules: sloped ceilings, balconies, and terraces
Sloped ceilings (Dachschrägen)
Under a pitched roof the usable ceiling height varies. The WoFlV sets the share counted by the clear ceiling height (lichte Raumhöhe):
- More than 2 metres high: 100% of the area counts towards the Wohnfläche
- 1 to 2 metres high: only 50% of the area is counted
- Below 1 metre high: the area does not count at all
So a loft with 40 m² of floor area, where 10 m² sit below 1 metre and another 10 m² between 1 and 2 metres, has a Wohnfläche of only 25 m² (20 m² full plus 5 m² halved).
Balconies and terraces
Balconies, terraces, loggias, and roof gardens count under § 4 WoFlV at a minimum of 25 percent and a maximum of 50 percent. The exact share depends on location, fit-out, and orientation. As a rule, surveyors and property managers apply 25 percent. A 50 percent share is possible when the balcony is particularly high quality or unusually well situated.
Calculating the Wohnfläche: an example
Top-floor flat, 3 rooms:
| Area | Floor area | Height | Factor | Living area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living room | 22.0 m² | > 2 m | 1.0 | 22.0 m² |
| Bedroom | 14.0 m² | > 2 m | 1.0 | 14.0 m² |
| Sloped ceiling, bedroom | 4.0 m² | 1-2 m | 0.5 | 2.0 m² |
| Kitchen | 10.0 m² | > 2 m | 1.0 | 10.0 m² |
| Bathroom | 6.0 m² | > 2 m | 1.0 | 6.0 m² |
| Hallway | 5.0 m² | > 2 m | 1.0 | 5.0 m² |
| Balcony | 8.0 m² | n/a | 0.25 | 2.0 m² |
| Total | 69.0 m² | 61.0 m² |
The advertised Wohnfläche is 61 m², even though the bare floor area is 69 m². Keep that gap in mind when you compare listings.
The free immotap Living Area Calculator walks you through the WoFlV calculation step by step and shows the result straight away.
Good to know
Tenancy law and the 10 percent tolerance
If the actual Wohnfläche is more than 10 percent smaller than the figure in the lease, the flat counts as defective. The tenant may reduce the rent in the same proportion. If the lease says 80 m² but the flat is only 70 m² (12.5% less), the rent can be cut by 12.5%. Overpaid rent can be reclaimed retroactively, as long as the claim has not become time-barred (verjährt).
For rent increases under § 558 BGB (the German Civil Code), the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) has scrapped the 10 percent threshold: here the actual area always applies, whatever the contract says.
Purchase price and valuation
Property listings refer to the Wohnfläche under the WoFlV. A price per square metre is therefore only comparable when every property was measured the same way. With older buildings (Altbauten) it pays to check, because older calculations often rest on DIN 277 and report higher square-metre figures.
Service charges
In apartment buildings, operating costs (Betriebskosten) are usually allocated by Wohnfläche. A correct area protects you from inflated statements.
Legal basis
The calculation of the Wohnfläche is governed by the Verordnung zur Berechnung der Wohnfläche (WoFlV, the ordinance on calculating living space), which came into force on 1 January 2004:
- § 2 WoFlV: which floor areas belong to the Wohnfläche
- § 3 WoFlV: how the floor areas are determined (measurement method, wall deductions)
- § 4 WoFlV: the shares counted for sloped ceilings, balconies, and conservatories
The WoFlV was issued on the basis of the Wohnraumförderungsgesetz (WoFG, the Housing Promotion Act) and applies to all subsidised housing. For non-subsidised housing it is not strictly mandatory, but in practice German courts apply it regularly in disputes and it has become the general standard.
Frequently asked questions
Wohnfläche means living area or living space: the legally defined, habitable floor area of a home measured in square metres. In Germany it is calculated under the Wohnflächenverordnung (WoFlV, the Living Space Ordinance) and forms the basis for the rent, the purchase price, and the allocation of service charges.
All rooms that belong exclusively to the dwelling count: living rooms, bedrooms, and children's rooms, plus the kitchen, bathroom, hallway, and any storage rooms inside the flat. Balconies, terraces, and loggias count at 25 to 50 percent. Cellars, garages, laundry rooms, and boiler rooms do not count towards the Wohnfläche.
Areas under a pitched roof are counted by clear ceiling height: above 2 metres the area counts 100 percent, between 1 and 2 metres only 50 percent, and below 1 metre it does not count towards the Wohnfläche at all.
If the actual Wohnfläche is more than 10 percent smaller than the figure in the lease, this counts as a defect. The tenant may reduce the rent in the same proportion and reclaim overpaid rent retroactively. For rent increases, however, the actual area always applies, regardless of the 10 percent threshold.