Legal
Transparency and trust matter to us
Transparency and trust matter to us
Version date: July 2026 · Version 2.1 – revised pursuant to Legal Due Diligence Review
a) Scope. These General Terms and Conditions ("GTC") apply to all bookings and stays in holiday apartments/serviced apartments operated by TwentyOne Apartments UG (haftungsbeschränkt) (hereinafter "Provider").
b) Contracting Parties and Minimum Age. Contracting parties may be consumers (§ 13 BGB) and entrepreneurs (§ 14 BGB). The lead guest must be at least 18 years of age and fully legally capable (§§ 104 et seq. BGB). If a company makes a booking, the booking person warrants that they are duly authorised to do so. If a natural or legal person books on behalf of a company without a valid power of attorney, that person shall be personally liable (§ 179 BGB).
c) Language of Contract and Governing Law. The contract language is German. German law shall apply. For bookings made by consumers habitually resident in an EU member state, the protection afforded by the mandatory consumer-protection provisions of their country of habitual residence shall remain unaffected (Art. 6(2) Rome I Regulation/EU 593/2008).
a) Formation of Contract. Direct bookings: Bookings are frequently made by telephone (clarification of availability and price). The contract is formed by the verbal agreement of both parties during the call. At the end of the call, the Provider expressly draws the Guest's attention to the fact that these GTC form part of the contract and will be transmitted with the invoice. The invoice is sent to the Guest by e-mail immediately after the call and includes these GTC as an attachment. By making payment, the Guest declares agreement with the enclosed GTC, which have been brought to their attention prior to payment (§ 305(2) BGB). The Guest is expressly requested to read the GTC before making payment.
Platform bookings (e.g. Airbnb, Booking.com): For bookings made via booking platforms, these GTC are incorporated within the respective platform booking process; deviating platform terms take precedence. The invoice is issued to the Guest after the stay has ended and serves solely as proof of payment. Re-incorporation of the GTC at the time of invoicing is not required in this case, as the contract has already been concluded via the platform.
b) Payment Terms for Direct Bookings. For direct bookings, the invoiced amount is due immediately upon issuance of the invoice. No separate booking confirmation is issued; the invoice simultaneously serves as proof of service. For bookings via platforms (e.g. Airbnb, Booking.com), the payment deadlines set by the respective platform apply.
c) Security Deposit. A security deposit may be charged to cover damage or rule violations. The amount is stated in the invoice. The deposit will be refunded within 14 days of check-out and final inspection of the accommodation, subject to any justified deductions. The Guest will be informed promptly with supporting documentation of any deductions made.
d) Non-Payment – Provider's Right of Withdrawal. If payment is not received by the due date, the Provider shall be entitled, after a grace period of 5 working days has expired without result, to withdraw from the contract (§§ 280, 323 BGB) and re-let the accommodation. The Provider's right to claim further damages shall remain unaffected.
e) Default Interest. In the event of late payment, default interest at 5 percentage points above the base rate of the Deutsche Bundesbank shall be charged. The Provider reserves the right to claim additional damages.
f) Costs of Enforcement. In the event of default, the Guest shall bear all reasonable costs of debt recovery, including reminder fees, collection costs and legal fees in accordance with the Lawyers' Remuneration Act (RVG).
g) Utility Costs, EV Charging, Energy Misuse. Utility costs for water, waste, electricity and heating are included (fair-use basis). Separate billing does not ordinarily apply.
Charging of electric vehicles via the accommodation's power supply is only permitted with the Provider's prior written consent. If charging occurs without consent, the Provider may charge a flat fee of €10 net plus statutory VAT per day of use. The Guest retains the right to demonstrate that no or a materially lower additional cost arose; the Provider retains the right to prove a higher loss.
In cases of clearly abusive energy use – in particular the permanent operation of additional high-consumption appliances not forming part of the standard equipment (e.g. electric heaters, fan heaters) or heating with windows open – the Provider may charge €25 net plus statutory VAT per day of misuse. Abusive use includes in particular: operation of private electric heating devices, air-conditioning units or similar high-consumption appliances not part of the standard inventory. The Guest retains the right to demonstrate that no or a materially lower cost arose; the Provider retains the right to prove a higher loss.
h) Payment Service Providers. If payment is processed via a payment service provider such as PayPal or Stripe, their respective terms of use additionally apply.
i) Transaction Fees on Refunds. For refunds processed via PayPal or Stripe, the Provider may retain the actual transaction fees incurred, solely where the refund is made at the express request of the Guest or as a goodwill gesture and no fault on the part of the Provider exists. Transaction fees will only be retained to the extent they are demonstrably incurred by the Provider.
j) Local Taxes and Levies. Local taxes and levies that are legally applicable (e.g. accommodation tax/tourism tax) shall be borne by the Guest in addition to the rental price, unless expressly agreed otherwise.
Pursuant to § 312g(2) No. 9 BGB, there is no right of withdrawal for contracts for accommodation services at a specific time. Cancellation is therefore only possible under the conditions set out in clause 4.
Note: For online bookings, pre-contractual information obligations under §§ 312d, 246a EGBGB remain applicable. Mandatory information is provided on the booking page.
Cancellations must be made in text form (e.g. by e-mail). The following conditions apply:
The decisive point in time is the receipt of the cancellation in text form by the Provider. The Provider reserves the right to prove higher damages. The Guest expressly retains the right to demonstrate that the Provider suffered no loss or a materially lower loss. Where re-letting of the accommodation succeeds, a goodwill refund may be made.
Early departure: Early departure before the booked checkout date does not entitle the Guest to a pro-rata refund of the rental price, unless the early departure is due to fault on the part of the Provider.
The Provider is entitled to withdraw from an already automatically confirmed booking within 48 hours of receipt of the booking confirmation, by declaration in text form to the Guest, where objective grounds relating to the Guest exist that render performance of the stay unreasonable for the Provider. This applies in particular where
Where the Provider exercises this right, any payments already made will be refunded in full without delay, and at the latest within 14 days. Further claims by the Guest are excluded, provided the Provider is not at fault.
For bookings made via booking platforms (e.g. Airbnb, Booking.com), any right of withdrawal by the Provider is governed exclusively by the terms of the relevant platform; this provision does not apply in such cases (see clause 2a).
a) Check-In / Late Arrival. Check-in is generally available between 15:00 and 00:00, unless otherwise agreed. For arrivals after 00:00, a late check-in fee of €30 plus statutory VAT applies, unless otherwise individually agreed at the time of booking. Late arrivals must be announced in advance in text form.
b) No-Show. If the Guest does not arrive on the day of arrival and fails to notify the Provider of a delay by 18:00 on the day of arrival in text form, this constitutes a no-show. The full booking price remains due. The Provider is entitled to terminate the tenancy with immediate effect and re-let the accommodation; any revenue from re-letting will be credited against the claim.
c) Number of Guests. The accommodation is rented exclusively for the registered number of persons and the agreed period. Exceeding the maximum number of persons is not permitted and may result in immediate termination.
d) Duty to Vacate / Compensation for Withholding Possession. The stay ends no later than the agreed check-out time. The accommodation must be fully vacated and all keys/access means returned. An extension is only effective if expressly agreed in text form before the end of the rental period.
If the Guest fails to return the accommodation after the end of the rental period, they shall owe compensation for use pursuant to § 546a BGB amounting to 150% of the agreed nightly rate per commenced day of withholding possession, plus statutory VAT. The Guest retains the right to demonstrate that no or a materially lower loss arose; the Provider retains the right to prove higher damages.
Pets of any kind are strictly and unconditionally prohibited in the accommodation. No exceptions or approvals can be granted by the Provider.
In the event of a violation, the Provider is entitled to terminate the tenancy with immediate effect and require the Guest to vacate the accommodation. In addition, a special cleaning flat fee of €250 net plus statutory VAT shall be due. The Guest retains the right to demonstrate a lesser loss; the Provider retains the right to prove higher damages. The Guest is further liable for all damage caused by the animal.
The equipment may be used in accordance with the contract and with care. Damage or malfunctions must be reported immediately. Special requests are possible but must be confirmed by the Provider in text form. Photos and descriptions serve as a realistic depiction of the accommodation; minor deviations are possible. The Provider reserves the right to replace furnishings with equivalent or superior alternatives, provided contractual use of the accommodation is not impaired.
a) Duty of Care. The Guest undertakes to treat the apartment, inventory and outdoor areas with care.
b) Duty to Report Defects and Check-In Documentation. Any defects or damage must be reported to the Provider in text form promptly, and at the latest within 24 hours of taking possession of the accommodation. If defects or damage are not reported within this period, it shall be rebuttably presumed that the accommodation was in faultless condition at handover. The Guest's statutory rights otherwise remain unaffected.
c) Damage Documentation. If damage is identified during an intermediate cleaning or after check-out, it will be documented (e.g. photos/record) and charged to the Guest where the Guest is responsible. The Guest expressly retains the right to provide counter-evidence.
d) Provider's Liability. The Provider is fully liable for intentional misconduct and gross negligence, and for injury to life, body or health. For slight negligence, the Provider is only liable for breach of material contractual obligations (cardinal obligations), in which case liability is limited to foreseeable, typical losses. Liability for valuables brought onto the premises exists only in cases of intent/gross negligence or where statutory mandatory liability applies.
e) Guest's Liability. The Guest is liable for all damage to the rented accommodation caused by them, as well as damage caused by accompanying persons, visitors or animals.
f) Departure Day Obligations. On the day of departure, all personal belongings (including refrigerator contents) must be removed, waste disposed of, and dishes washed and returned. In the event of non-compliance, a surcharge of €25 net plus statutory VAT per commenced hour, plus material costs, will be charged. The Guest retains the right to demonstrate a lesser loss.
a) Cleaning Surcharge. The accommodation must be kept clean during the stay. For excessive soiling or violations of standard cleaning requirements, an additional cleaning fee of €25 net plus statutory VAT per commenced hour, plus material costs, may be charged. The Guest expressly retains the right to demonstrate that no or a materially lower additional cost arose; the Provider retains the right to prove a higher loss.
b) Smoking Ban. Smoking inside the accommodation is prohibited. In the event of a violation, a cleaning flat fee of €250 will be charged. The Guest expressly retains the right to prove lower costs; higher demonstrable costs are reserved for the Provider.
c) House Rules. The house rules are available via our house rules page as well as additionally as a link to the Provider's digital guest compendium, and form part of the contract. They contain all key rules of conduct and use, including quiet hours (22:00–07:00), consideration for neighbours and use of communal facilities. The link to the guest compendium is provided to the Guest no later than upon receipt of the invoice. Acknowledgement of the house rules is a condition of the stay.
d) Long-Term Stays. For longer stays, regular intermediate cleaning (e.g. every 14 days including linen change) may be agreed; scope and costs will be recorded in the invoice or a separate written agreement.
Keys are handed over in person, via a secure key box or by leaving them in the accommodation. In the event of key loss, the Guest shall bear all resulting costs, in particular locksmith fees and replacement key costs. Costs for replacing the locking system will only be charged where replacement is objectively necessary for security reasons and the security risk was caused by the Guest's loss of the key; only the Guest's proportionate share will be charged. The Guest is not entitled to alternative accommodation or reimbursement for key loss/defects on the Provider's part, except in cases of intent/gross negligence by the Provider.
Where key handover cannot exceptionally take place directly at the apartment, the Provider may designate an alternative pick-up address within a radius of up to 10 km of the booked accommodation. The exact address will be communicated to the Guest in text form in good time before arrival, and at the latest with the arrival information. At the Guest's request, an in-person handover on site may alternatively be arranged, subject to the Provider's availability. The Guest shall not be entitled to reimbursement from the Provider for any additional costs arising from the extra distance, unless expressly agreed otherwise.
The Provider supplies Wi-Fi access to the Guest. The Guest undertakes not to misuse the access (e.g. illegal downloads, distribution of unlawful content, hacking, file-sharing or streaming copyright-protected content without a licence). The Provider is not liable for disruptions to or interruptions of internet access unless caused by intent or gross negligence. The Guest shall indemnify the Provider against third-party claims arising from the Guest's unlawful use of the connection.
Only registered persons may use the accommodation. Non-registered visitors may only be present during daytime hours (08:00–22:00) and with the Provider's knowledge. The Provider is entitled to terminate the stay immediately in the event of serious misconduct. Serious misconduct includes in particular:
In cases of force majeure, natural disasters, official orders, pandemics or other extraordinary circumstances rendering use of the accommodation impossible, the Provider is released from its obligation to perform. If the contractual use of the accommodation is rendered impossible by force majeure, payments already made for periods demonstrably not usable will be refunded on a pro-rata basis, less any costs already incurred by the Provider (e.g. pre-booked staff, advance payments). Further claims, in particular for damages, are excluded to the extent permitted by law. In the event of official restrictions or travel advisories, a goodwill solution will be sought in individual cases.
a) Purpose and Nature of Use. This agreement establishes exclusively a fixed-term tenancy of furnished holiday accommodation / serviced apartments for temporary residential purposes (short-term letting). The accommodation does not serve as a substitute for the Guest's permanent residence and does not constitute a primary domicile within the meaning of registration law. Use as a primary centre of life is expressly excluded.
b) Maximum Contract Duration. The rental period per individual contract is limited to a maximum of 6 months. Any extension requires a new contract expressly concluded in text form. Successive bookings do not constitute a single continuous tenancy; each booking period is a legally independent contract.
c) Prohibition on Registration of Primary Domicile. The Guest is not entitled to register the accommodation as their primary residence or sole address with the registration authorities. Registration pursuant to the Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz, BMG) is only permitted with the Provider's express prior written consent.
d) No Security of Tenure. As this agreement constitutes exclusively furnished short-term letting, the provisions on social tenant protection for residential tenancies (in particular §§ 573, 574 BGB) do not apply. The exclusion of tacit extension pursuant to § 545 BGB is agreed in clause 17e).
e) Commercial Sub-Letting / Intermediate Letting. Where an entrepreneur (§ 14 BGB) books the accommodation for the purpose of commercial sub-letting or on-charging to third parties (e.g. in the context of insurance services, relocation services or comparable arrangements), the entrepreneur confirms upon conclusion of the contract that they are acting in their own name and on their own account and that no arrangement exists designed to circumvent the purpose of obtaining tenant protection rights for end users. The end user is not a contracting party of the Provider.
The Provider processes the Guest's personal data (name, address, payment data, where applicable IP address) exclusively for the purpose of contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and fulfilling legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR). Data is only shared with third parties where necessary for service delivery (e.g. payment service providers) or required by law. The Guest has the right to access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16 GDPR), erasure (Art. 17 GDPR), restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR) and data portability (Art. 20 GDPR). Complaints may be addressed to the competent data protection supervisory authority. The full privacy notice pursuant to Art. 13 GDPR is available further down this page and upon request.
The European Commission provides an online dispute resolution (ODR) platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. The Provider is neither obliged nor willing to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board (§ 36(1) No. 2 VSBG), unless separately agreed.
a) Severability. Should any provision of these GTC be wholly or partly invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall not be affected. Invalid provisions shall be replaced by the applicable statutory regulation.
b) Governing Law. German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). For bookings by consumers with an EU domicile, the protection afforded by mandatory consumer-protection provisions of their home country pursuant to Art. 6(2) Rome I Regulation shall remain unaffected.
c) Jurisdiction. If the contracting party is a merchant, a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law, the place of jurisdiction shall be the registered office of TwentyOne Apartments UG (haftungsbeschränkt), An der alten Mühle 20, 41564 Kaarst, Germany. The statutory places of jurisdiction shall otherwise apply.
d) Amendments. Amendments and additions to these GTC must be made in text form. Individual agreements between the Provider and the Guest take precedence over these GTC.
e) Exclusion of Tacit Extension. Tacit extension of the tenancy pursuant to § 545 BGB is excluded. If the Guest continues to use the accommodation after expiry of the rental period, no tenancy of indefinite duration arises; the Provider hereby expressly objects to any such continuation in advance.
TwentyOne Apartments UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
An der alten Mühle 20
41564 Kaarst, Germany
Email: hello@21apartments.de
We process your personal data on the basis of the following legal grounds pursuant to Art. 6(1) GDPR:
We store your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it is processed, or as required by law:
After these periods expire, the data is routinely deleted, provided it is no longer required for contract performance or initiation.
When visiting our website, technical information is automatically collected (e.g. IP address, browser type, time). This data is anonymized and serves to ensure functional security.
Personal data (e.g. name, email address, booking data) is only collected if you voluntarily provide it to us. The data is used exclusively to process the booking and is not disclosed to third parties without your consent unless legally required.
For bookings made via third-party platforms, their privacy policies additionally apply. We receive your booking data from these providers and process it exclusively for contract performance.
If you pay via PayPal or Stripe, payment processing takes place via their own platforms. Personal data (e.g. name, email address, payment information) is transmitted to these providers. Their privacy policies apply. We have no influence over data processing by these providers.
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Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights:
TwentyOne Apartments UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
An der alten Mühle 20
41564 Kaarst, Germany
Managing Director: Nils Lau
Phone: +49 156 79635085
Email: Hello@21Apartments.de
Registered in the Commercial Register.
Register court: Neuss Local Court (Amtsgericht Neuss)
Register number: HRB 23748
VAT identification number pursuant to § 27a of the German VAT Act:
DE368086421
Despite careful content control, we assume no liability for the content of external links. The operators of the linked pages are solely responsible for their content.
The European Commission provides a platform for online dispute resolution (ODR): https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/
We are not willing or obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
Nils Lau
An der alten Mühle 20
41564 Kaarst, Germany
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