House Rules
As at May 2025 – Living together in a block of flats requires adherence to certain guidelines, but above all mutual consideration. In order to ensure that residents can live together harmoniously as far as possible, the house rules, as a legally binding part of the tenancy or long-term occupancy agreement, must be observed.
I. FLAT
1. Ventilation and heating
The flat must be adequately ventilated, cleaned and heated. It is not permitted to vent the flat into the stairwell. Where there is a forced ventilation system in the kitchen or bathroom, it is forbidden to block the existing ventilation openings or to connect electrical appliances, such as extractor hoods or fans.
It is important to ensure that the flat is adequately ventilated, even during the colder months. The best approach is to ventilate briefly with the windows fully open, ideally by creating a draught. This is more effective than leaving the windows tilted open for long periods, which should also be avoided to keep heating costs down.
Please note the following points in our guide: Cosy and warm at no extra cost.
2. Sanitary facilities
It is prohibited to dispose of household waste, kitchen waste, paper nappies, hygiene products and other waste via toilet facilities and sinks. In the event of a blockage in the pipework within the flat, the member shall be fully liable in the event of culpable conduct. It is essential that the member regularly cleans the toilet and sink drains in their flat. To ensure a swift response in the event of an emergency, we recommend regularly testing the shut-off valves within the flat (water, angle valves, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.).
3. What to do in the event of bad weather or frost
In the event of heavy rain, snowfall or other severe weather conditions, the windows in the flat must be kept closed. If the outside temperature falls below freezing, all appropriate measures must be taken to prevent drainpipes, water pipes, radiators and heating pipes from freezing.
During the cold season, keep basement, ground-floor and stairwell windows closed, except for brief periods of ventilation.
4. Balconies and loggias
The use of balconies and loggias must not cause any nuisance whatsoever to other residents. Window boxes must be fitted correctly. When watering plants, care must be taken to ensure that no one is inconvenienced by water running down, and that parapets, walls and facilities located beneath the balcony are not soiled or damaged. In case of doubt, the co-operative may prohibit the placement of window boxes and flowers. Shaking dust off carpets, doormats, blankets, cloths or similar items on balconies or from windows is prohibited. It is also prohibited to dispose of rubbish (e.g. cigarette ends) from balconies or windows.
II. USE OF COMMON FACILITIES
AND COMMON PROPERTY
1. Washing and drying laundry
Every resident has the right to use the drying rooms provided. After use, the drying room must be cleaned and locked. Laundry may only be dried in the drying rooms and in any designated drying areas. On balconies, laundry may be hung up to the height of the parapet. Where appropriate communal facilities are available, drying laundry inside the flat should generally be avoided. When using washing machines, tumble dryers or similar appliances, please observe the statutory quiet hours specified in Section IV.
2. Reception technology (TV, internet, etc.)
Please report any faults or damage affecting your TV, internet or telephone reception to your cable network operator. You must not carry out any work on the communal installation or the aerial sockets. Installing your own aerials for satellite reception is prohibited.
You can find more information on the subject of internet and telephony on our advice page.
3. Letterbox and doorbell system
The letterbox and doorbell system has a standardised design. Nameplates are replaced by DSW. Any signs or advertising on these require authorisation.
4. Rubbish room or rubbish bins
The refuse room and/or refuse bins must always be kept clean and locked.
Any litter you come across must be picked up immediately and disposed of in the bin. It is forbidden to leave rubbish next to the bin boxes. If the boxes are already full, please store your rubbish temporarily in your own cellar or flat until the next collection day.
Paper, cardboard, bottles/jars, plastics/composite materials, general waste and organic waste must be placed in the designated bins (separated from one another).
Moving house or buying new items may result in an increase in packaging waste. The household waste bins are not designed to cope with this. Please therefore arrange for the disposal of this waste yourself at the public collection points.
Hazardous waste, bulky waste and garden waste must not, as a general rule, be disposed of in the bins. The current version of the City of Magdeburg’s waste disposal guide applies.
The current version of the City of Magdeburg’s waste disposal guide applies.
5. Bulky waste
To arrange the disposal of bulky waste, please contact the Municipal Waste Management Service. They will arrange a free collection appointment for you twice a year. Bulky waste may only be placed on your property the evening before the collection, provided you have already arranged a collection date. After collection, any litter or bulky waste that has not been collected must be cleared away.
6. Passenger lift
The passenger lift must not be used in the event of a fire. Please ensure that the lift is not damaged by the transport of bulky items.
7. Vehicles and two-wheelers
Driving and parking on green spaces and footpaths is strictly prohibited. Unauthorised vehicles will be towed away by an external contractor, and the owner will be liable for the costs.
An exception to this are the service providers acting on behalf of the Stadtfelder.
Leaving vehicle engines idling unnecessarily in car parks, as well as noisy vehicle repairs, are strictly prohibited, as is car washing. Parking motorbikes and mopeds in cellars and communal areas, corridors and building entrances, and in outdoor areas is prohibited. Bicycles may only be parked in the open spaces, lock-ups, bicycle storage rooms or in the cellar belonging to the flat that are designated for this purpose.
III. CLEANING
1. Buildings and outdoor facilities
The co-operative’s buildings and grounds must be kept clean at all times. Any soiling or damage to the building or the grounds is prohibited. In the event of a breach, those responsible will be held financially liable. The occupant is liable for any damage to the outdoor areas caused by their suppliers. Keeping and feeding animals, including all kinds of wild animals, is expressly prohibited in the outdoor areas and communal facilities. Do not throw any objects or rubbish into the green spaces. Any mess caused by celebrations, such as New Year’s Eve or other events, must be cleared away immediately.
2. Cleaning of stairwells, floors and cellars
The cleaning of stairwells, floors and cellars is carried out by an external service provider. If you have any complaints, please inform Stadtfelder as soon as possible. Any significant mess must be cleared up immediately by the person responsible.
IV. REGULATIONS
1. Protection against noise
It is forbidden to disturb other residents by causing noise nuisance that exceeds normal levels.
Between 1.00 pm and 3.00 pm and between 8.00 pm and 7.00 am, noisy work, such as sawing, drilling and hammering, is prohibited.
Please set televisions, radios, other audio equipment, computers and other digital devices to a reasonable volume. Similarly, playing music at home should be confined to your flat and kept at a reasonable volume. This also applies to parties that continue past 8.00 pm. Please give the other residents sufficient notice of such events.
On Sundays and public holidays, the rule regarding rest on Sundays and public holidays applies; in such cases, particular consideration must be given to the residents’ need for rest.
Emergency repairs, maintenance and construction work commissioned by the co-operative which cannot be postponed are exempt from these regulations and are permitted.
The City of Magdeburg’s Hazard Prevention Regulations, as currently in force, shall apply.
2. Children’s play
Children are permitted to play in the designated children’s play areas. The statutory quiet hours also apply here. Noise caused by children playing in the flat or on the property must be tolerated, provided it is not excessive noise caused deliberately. Playing, running and romping about in the stairwell, in the passenger lift, in the basement corridors, in the loft and in landscaped outdoor areas is not permitted.
3. Stairwell and communal areas
In order to comply with fire prevention regulations, it is prohibited to leave objects of any kind in the hallways, stairwells and communal areas. Any objects left or stored in the cellar or in other ancillary rooms belonging to the flat are done so at your own risk.
Escape routes and unobstructed access to fire-extinguishing and barrier systems must be ensured.
V. SAFETY
1. Closing windows and doors
For the safety of all residents, the building, cellar and courtyard doors must be kept closed at all times. The front doors must not be locked. Windows in communal areas, stairwells and the cellar belonging to the flat must be kept closed, except for brief periods of ventilation. Anyone who has opened windows or ventilation systems for the purpose of ventilation must ensure they are closed again.
2. Absence of a member
A member’s absence does not exempt them from fulfilling their duties.
It is in the member’s own interest, in the event of a prolonged absence, to inform a person appointed by them of this and to make arrangements to ensure easy access to their home in an emergency.
Windows and shut-off valves in the flat must be kept closed whilst the occupant is away. To prevent water contamination, the occupant must ensure that water is run from all taps or shower heads in the rooms made available to them at least once a month.
3. Fire safety
The storage of flammable, highly flammable or odour-causing substances is prohibited throughout the entire residential building. Explosives and explosive substances must not be brought into the building or onto the premises. Open flames and smoking are prohibited on the floor, in the stairwell, in the basement, in communal areas and in lifts.
If you smell gas, please call the gas emergency number on +49 391 587 2424 and then inform the co-operative immediately. Do not enter the affected rooms with any open flames. Do not switch on any electrical appliances. Open the windows and turn off the gas taps. For safety reasons, barbecuing with charcoal or gas is prohibited on balconies, loggias and in areas immediately adjacent to the building.
You can find even more information on our advice page.
VI. DAMAGE TO AND ALTERATIONS TO THE RENTED PROPERTY
1. Reporting damage and disruption
Any damage to the flat, the building or the communal areas must be reported immediately to the relevant caretaker or the co-operative. This also applies if pests, such as rats, mice, etc., are discovered. Outside the co-operative’s office hours, the co-operative’s emergency service must be contacted in the event of an emergency. The emergency number is +49 391 990 678 90 and is also displayed on the notice board in the building.
2. Alterations to or work carried out on the let property
Written consent must always be obtained from the co-operative before carrying out any structural alterations to the let property. Alterations to the building services (water, waste water, rainwater, heating and electrical systems) are not permitted.
APPENDIX: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
The keeping of animals is governed by the tenancy agreement and the house rules. Written permission from the co-operative is required unless the animals in question are common small pets (fish, hamsters, birds, cats and other small animals that do not cause any problems). Keeping pets is only permitted if the animals are cared for in a manner appropriate to their species, in accordance with animal welfare regulations, and provided that there is no risk of nuisance or danger to other people. The owner is fully liable for any damage, particularly to doors, windows, floors and wallpaper.
All the rules also apply to visiting pets.
DOGS
Keeping a dog requires the co-operative’s consent in all cases. This consent is revocable; in other words, if the dog causes a nuisance to other residents or is not kept in a manner appropriate to the species, the permission may be revoked without notice.
This does not apply to guide dogs for the blind and assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
The keeping of dangerous dog breeds and their crossbreeds is prohibited under the ‘Act on Precautions against Dangers Posed by Dogs’ of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, dated 23 January 2009.
The following rules of conduct must be observed:
- It must not cause any nuisance (odour or noise) to fellow residents.
- Dogs must be kept on a short lead both indoors and in the outdoor areas, must not be left unattended, and must be kept away from playgrounds.
- When using a lift, please be considerate of other residents.
- Dog owners must clear up after their dogs immediately.
- Proof of dog liability insurance is essential.
In addition, the Dog Act referred to above applies.
CATS
There must be no odour or noise nuisance. Cat litter must not be disposed of down the toilet. This can lead to blockages in the flat’s drainage pipes or throughout the entire building.
The installation of cat nets on the balcony requires the co-operative’s consent. Any soiling caused by cats inside the building and in the associated outdoor areas must be cleaned up by the cat owner without delay.
SMALL ANIMALS
Keeping small pets is permitted, provided they are kept in reasonable numbers, in a manner appropriate to their species, and do not give rise to complaints of any kind from other residents.
Exceptions are made for unusual exotic animal species which require special housing conditions or safety measures and which may be considered to pose a high risk of disturbance or danger (such as parrots, snakes, poisonous animals and the like). A permit from the co-operative is required to keep such animal species.
Evidence must be provided to the co-operative of the keeper’s conditions of keeping and safety measures, any necessary personal requirements, and appropriate third-party liability insurance.
