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Created on Friday, 07 November 2008 00:29

Last Updated on Friday, 29 November 2013 16:59

Flat Damages in Standard Terms Clause

This article discusses the validity of the clause “… an immediately maturing flat compensation, which amounts to half of rent until the end of the period of contract, but at most the three year’s rent (einen sofort fälligen pauschalierten Schadensersatz zu verlangen, der die Hälfte der restlichen bis zum Ablauf der Vertragsdauer anfallenden Miete, höchstens aber drei Jahresmieten ausmacht) in a standard contract. OLGOldenburg (judgment of June 02, re 2 U 37/99) decided that this clausula violates §309 no. 5 b BGB.

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This legal provision reads, “Even if a difference to the legal rules is permitted, such clause in standard terms and provisions are void if the other party of the contract does not expressly allow to prove the flat damage at all or if a significantly lower damage has occurred. (Auch soweit eine Abweichung von den gesetzlichen Vorschriften zulässig ist, ist in Allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen unwirksam wenn dem anderen Vertragsteil nicht ausdrücklich der Nachweis gestattet wird, ein Schaden oder eine Wertminderung sei überhaupt nicht entstanden oder wesentlich niedriger als die Pauschale.)”

This provision embraces not only such stipulations which explicitly prohibit a counterproof; it is also sufficient that a legally unskilled customer has the impression the counterproof is not allowed. Existing judgments have ruled this is the case, with wordings like “auf jeden Fall = in any case” or “wenigstens = at least” or “ist zu zahlen = is to be paid” or “sofort fällig = immediately matured). If the layperson in law gets the impression that he has no chance to prove the other party has incurred less damage, then this stipulation will be considered invalid.




Published on the old CMS: 2006/12/21
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