Not only living space is currently becoming increasingly expensive and scarce in Germany. Parking spaces are also in short supply in most German cities. Anyone who, in addition to the main car, also has a second vehicle is doubly penalized.
For this reason, in most major cities there are Self-Storage providers that specialize in renting out garages. Private individuals who have more space on their own property than they need are also increasingly putting garages on it and renting them out in order to generate a secondary income.
In addition to parking vehicles, these garages can of course also be used as storage space. However, if you are considering renting a storage space garage, you should inform yourself thoroughly about your rights and obligations before you sign a contract.
It could be that a garage as storage space comes with some restrictions, and you are not permitted to use the storage area for what you had planned.
Who is renting a garage suitable for?
In principle, garages are intended for only one purpose: the parking and storage of motor vehicles. Most federal states even have a garage regulation in which the misuse of garages is regulated in detail and in some cases prohibited.
The ban on misuse applies both to your own garage and to a rented garage and could have serious consequences if discovered. For example, anyone who converts their garage into a workshop could have not only their rental contract for the garage terminated without notice, but also for the entire apartment if it was part of the contract.
There are also restrictions in your own home. A workshop may only be set up in the garage for personal use, and not for commercial purposes. If you therefore equip the garage with electricity and lighting because you want to work in it, the activities should only be light and carried out with as little noise as possible.
Do you need the garage for business or private use?
Anyone who operates a business in Germany must also provide a business address. Many tradespeople or freelancers often do not have a physical building from which they operate their company. It is not always appropriate to state the residential address as the office address, and here a rented garage can be the solution.
In contrast to private customers, business customers need a monthly invoice that clearly shows the value-added tax. You should also ensure that you are allowed to put up the necessary signs on your rented garage that indicate it as the location of your business to the Post and possibly customers.
In addition, you must ensure that the use of the garage as commercial space is also accepted by your landlord and recorded in the rental contract. If applicable, further security measures, including fire protection, access for commercial vehicles and CCTV surveillance, must also be regulated.
How much space do you need in the garage?
When you start looking for a garage, the question of space is of course one of the most important criteria alongside the rental costs. When it comes to garage size, the following conditions apply in Germany.
How large is a garage in square meters and cubic meters?
Garage sizes are not subject to statutory standards, but as a rule you can expect the following dimensions:
Single garage: 5 m – 8 m length, 2,50 m – 4 m width, 2,20 m – 3,20 m height, floor area 12,5 m² – 36 m², volume 27,50 m³ – 102,40 m³
Double garage: 5 m – 9 m length, 5 m – 8 m width, 2,20 m – 3,30 m height, floor area 25 m² – 72 m², volume 55 m³ – 237,60 m³
Large garage: 5 m – 10 m length, 5 m – 7 m width, 2,50 m – 3,30 m height, floor area 25 m² – 70 m², volume 62,50 m³ – 231 m³
In addition to your primary car, many people use their garage to store winter/summer tyres, bicycles and motorcycles, or tools. Note, however, that the garage regulation always prohibits the storage of larger quantities of petrol or diesel due to the high fire risk.
If you plan to use your garage as a storage place for, for example, household goods, you should set it up in such a way that you can also stack upwards. Hanging rails/hooks or shelves can help when adapting the garage as storage space. However, make sure that you always plan a buffer zone of about 10 to 15 percent so that you always have access to your things.
Which distances and dimensions fit your vehicle or stored items?
If you use your garage for purposes other than just parking your vehicle, you should ensure that you can always get into the car comfortably. Safe driving in and out of the garage should also not be impaired by the storage of boxes, tools and other items.
Therefore ensure that your stored items are placed at a proper distance from your vehicle and do not obstruct its natural turning circle. If you have attached a roof rack or trailer to your car, this will continue to affect driving in and out of the garage.
Therefore, not only the size of your garage is of particular importance, but also the size of the garage door. As a rule, these come in the following standard dimensions:
Single garage doors: 2,500 m door width – 2 m door height
Double garage doors: 5 m door width – 2 m door height
Garage doors for larger vehicles: 3m – 3.5 m door width up to 2 m – 2,2 m door height
Garage doors are available as up and over, roller or sectional doors. If you drive into your garage from a ramp, you must also include this when calculating the turning circle.
How much does it cost to rent a garage?
Which factors determine the monthly rent of a Garagenbox?
If you are wondering what you have to pay for the monthly or weekly rent of one, this depends first and foremost on your location.
In German major cities with high rents and property prices for living space, especially in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt, garages are the hardest to come by and consequently also the most expensive.
In Berlin or München, a garage often costs between 300 and 400 Euro per month and is not even centrally located, but in the outlying suburbs and industrial centers. In other, smaller cities, such as, for example, Krefeld or Gelsenkirchen, both in NRW, garage rent still starts at a hefty 200 Euro per month.
In both cases, these are relatively small garages with a floor area of 30 m². The larger the garage, the higher the rental price.
With professional Self-Storage providers who also rent out garages, you generally receive, in addition to the garage space, electricity, lighting and simple 24/7 access. However, on this market there are also some private providers who offer parking spaces in underground garages and on the street, often at usurious prices and with little comfort.
Therefore take a close look around and compare prices not only based on space and rental price, but also amenities such as video surveillance, electricity and lighting.
Do you have to pay deposit, VAT, and administrative fees?
A deposit has now become normal practice when renting storage space and garages. This one time payment usually amounts to between 1 and even 3 months’ rents and is demanded when signing the rental contract.
Deposits are one time payments that are paid back at the end of the rental period, provided that the rented storage space/the garage is returned as you received it.
In addition to the deposit, further costs can arise. Anyone who rents a garage with electricity must expect that this is added to the rent invoice either at an agreed price or according to a monthly reading.
In addition, some garage providers charge an administrative or service fee for the provision, cleaning and maintenance of the rented area and possibly the shared area. Private individuals who rent garages also have value-added tax as an additional cost. Reputable providers also require that the rented storage space and its contents are sufficiently insured.
How does the notice period work?
If you sign a rental contract for a garage, you should pay particular attention to the notice periods, especially if you enter into a contract for an indefinite period.
Notice periods can range from 1 to 3 months, and even with fixed term rental contracts you must be careful that the rental period does not simply extend due to an automatic contract extension clause if you have forgotten to give notice.
Make sure that the garage or the storage space is clean and completely cleared out when handing it over in order to get the deposit back. Provide photographic evidence to prevent the landlord from attributing to you damage to the garage that was already present when you moved in.
It can often take 3 to 6 months until you get your deposit back. The period is not regulated by law. Before you sign the contract, you may want to ask previous tenants what protocol the landlord applies when moving out.
How secure is your Garagenbox and how is access regulated?
What type of security measures do you receive?
The security measures for your rented garage depend entirely on the professionalism of your landlord. If you rent a garage from a private individual, there will most likely be no security offered and you must ensure yourself that your garage and its contents are sufficiently secured.
Professional garage landlords generally provide CCTV surveillance, robust doors and locks as well as secure fencing of the entire garage area. To be completely sure that your garage is also well protected, you could attach your own high quality lock.
Access to your garage should also be well lit so that you feel safe there even after dark.
When setting up your garage, make sure that you keep aisles clear, not only to ensure easy access to your belongings, but also to be able to leave the area quickly via escape routes in an emergency.
Is the parking space/the garage well lit and how quickly and easily can you load/unload?
Besides security, access to the garage is important. If you want to store more than just a motor vehicle in it, you must prepare the drive up with your belongings well.
Before you show up at the parking space with your fully loaded car, you should check the following:
- Are there ramps or access restrictions such as limiting clearance heights or maximum weight limits? This is especially important if you, for example, want to store a motorhome in the garage.
- Can the garage be easily approached with a trailer? This also applies to the possible storage of caravans.
- Does the provider provide hand trucks and trolleys so that you can save yourself the carrying?
- What type of garage door do you have? Does it close automatically after each passage, or is it a roller door that stays open?
- Is the lighting sufficient both outside and in the garage so that you do not have to fumble around in the dark.
- Is the area covered in case it rains when you load or unload?
Which guidelines apply to your rented garage and what are you not allowed to do there?
Are you allowed under the law to work in the garage and store other things there than motor vehicles?
What you may and may not do in the garage depends on the garage regulations in your city/municipality. As a rule, however, there are the following restrictions:
- In principle, garages are not a workplace and you are only allowed to carry out light tasks there. In doing so, you must ensure that you do not disturb the neighborhood with noise from power tools or unnecessarily much dust from, for example, sawing.
- If you want to convert the garage for commercial use, you need a building permit. In doing so, the points already mentioned are taken into account. Building permits for commercial use in residential areas are generally not granted.
- If you want to build a garage from scratch, special rules apply.
- Storage in garages permits items and materials that have to do with the motor vehicle. This includes tyres, child seats, bicycles, motorcycles, cleaning products, tools for cars and up to 20 liters of petrol in tightly sealed containers.
- Due to particular consideration of fire protection, you are generally not allowed to store household in the garage. Ask about the municipal or legal requirements in your region.
- If the garage comes with your rented apartment/your rented house, please note that disregarding the garage rules can result in your rental contract being terminated without notice.
Do you need insurance and which liability applies?
The insurance of your garage contents depends on what you store in the garage. If you only park your car or motorcycle there, this is covered by the comprehensive or partial comprehensive insurance for the vehicle. To ensure liability, however, this requires that you store only items and materials in the garage that are legally permitted.
In addition, a building insurance policy could cover damage to the garage itself. Your household insurance covers the items that you store in the garage. Please note that none of the insurances will cover damage that arose due to the storage of illegal or prohibited items or materials.
If the garage is part of your rental contract for an apartment/a house, a Mietrechtsschutzversicherung could additionally be relevant for you, which covers possible disputes with the landlord. A liability insurance is also necessary when renting a garage in order to cover damage to the garage itself.
To best prepare for possible damage or theft, you should always take photographic evidence of your stored goods and tools.
Prohibited items when storing in the garage
If you rent a garage, you probably assume that you can set up the space, for which you pay a fairly hefty rent every month, as you please. As with most things in Germany, however, there is also a garage regulation at your location that specifies exactly what you are not allowed to store in the garage.
Goods excluded from garage storage include furnishings such as furniture and large household appliances such as refrigerators or stoves, a large number of empty or filled crates and boxes, and other Sperrmüll.
In addition, easily flammable and explosive materials such as filled gas and fuel canisters are excluded from garage storage. In some municipalities and cities, however, you are allowed to store petrol canisters with up to 20 liters of contents.
General household items, such as old clothes, Christmas and Easter decorations or books are also excluded from storage in the garage.
The reason for the restrictive practice is the increased fire risk that can arise from improper storage of the items and materials. In addition, overcrowded garages are a magnet for vermin such as rats and mice.
Where can you rent a garage and how is access to your box regulated?
Which location best fits your needs due to the driving time and the motorway connection?
If you are looking for a garage to rent, you probably hope that you will find something near you. Real estate websites therefore often offer search engines that help you locate vehicle parking spaces on the street, in car parks or in underground garages in German major cities, including Berlin, Munich or Frankfurt. However, these are mostly private landlords, and caution is advised because you cannot easily check the reputation or reliability of the person.
If you rent the garage from a private provider, you must also pay attention to dangers and restrictions caused by the neighborhood in, for example, the Altstadt. Is the location safe or often affected by thefts, break ins or vandalism? Do you have to be considerate of the neighbors at night and avoid unnecessary noise?
In addition, there are also professional garage landlords, but they are rarely located in residential areas or centrally in the city center. Therefore you should look for someone who is at least on your commuting route and/or ensures easy access from the motorway.
If you, for example, live in Stuttgart, a garage landlord at the Autobahnausfahrt Untertürkheim could be of interest. In the Kölner Raum, you may have to switch to Düsseldorf due to a serious shortage of garage spaces.
How can a Garagenbox be compared with Full-Service-Selfstorage?
With so many restrictions, prohibitions and regulations in connection with garages and storage, you may want to consider whether Self-Storage in the garage is really suitable for you.
Do you only want to park a vehicle, or also furniture, household, personal items and paperwork? If you do not have a vehicle to park, perhaps full-service storage is exactly the right thing for you.
With this professional service, your items are collected at home and transported to a storage facility that can be tailored to your needs. The return delivery, in whole or in part, is also guaranteed to you with Full-Service-Selfstorage.
With Full-Service-Storage, you also avoid headaches about insurances and security precautions. Professional Selfstorage providers always have video surveillance installed in their storage facilities. In many cases, they also provide basic insurance included in the rental price for transport and storage, which complements your own household and liability insurance.
BOXIE24 — Full-Service-Lagerung
If you are looking for a storage place for your household goods and inventory, but want as little hassle as possible, the Full-Service-Storage of BOXIE24 is probably the perfect solution.
Our highly professional and friendly staff collect your things directly from your living room and transport them to one of our well heated and monitored storage rooms. There they are stored safely and you never pay for more space than you actually need.
Your things are even covered by basic insurance. If you want to have your property back in whole or in part, we will also bring it back to you, in many cases even without extra costs.
You can find BOXIE24 in more than 25 German major cities, including Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf. In addition, we collect your things from a further 90 cities in order to store them securely.
For a non binding offer, simply contact our helpful customer service team.
