Glossary
Kaltmiete
Cold Rent (Base Rent). The base rent excluding all utilities and operating costs. German market data, rent regulation and yield calculations all reference cold rent — tenants pay Nebenkosten on top.
Warmmiete (warm rent) = Kaltmiete + advance payments for operating costs (heating, water, building services). As a landlord, your revenue is the Kaltmiete; most operating costs pass through to tenants via the annual Nebenkostenabrechnung.
All regulatory instruments — Mietspiegel, Mietpreisbremse, Kappungsgrenze — operate on net cold rent per square metre. When comparing yields across listings, verify the quoted rent is cold, not warm.