Refunds and cancellations
When you can cancel, what you get back, and how long it takes.
Before you cancel: can you just change your date?
If your plans shift, contact us before you cancel. Changing your move-in or move-out date is sometimes possible and keeps your booking intact, rather than cancelling it outright. If the new dates work for the apartment, this is usually simpler than starting a cancellation.
Does this apply to me?
For some bookings, you pay your first month's rent through our payment provider, Stripe, and it stays on hold until you move in. For others, you pay your landlord directly from the start, the same way you will for the rest of your stay. Check the listing or your booking confirmation if you're not sure which applies to you.
Your One-Time Service Fee for tenants refund works the same either way. Only your rent differs. Read the section for your booking type below.
Your security deposit is separate from all of the below. It's held and returned by your landlord, not by Wunderflats. See 'Security deposit' if that's what you're looking for.
In Germany, whether your landlord is a private person or a commercial provider affects your rights, including the 14-day right of withdrawal described below.
Find your situation
This table is a summary. Read the matching section below for the full picture before you claim.
| Your situation | If you pay the first month’s rent through Wunderflats | If you pay your landlord directly | What we need from you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking not yet confirmed | Nothing charged | Nothing charged | |
| After final booking confirmation | |||
| You change your mind | Service Fee is not refunded, rent credited only if your landlord agrees, we can apply it to a future booking | Service Fee is not refunded, rent is between you and your landlord | Written consent from your landlord at cancellation request |
| Landlord wants to cancel | Full refund, we help you find another place | Service Fee refunded, we help you find another place, rent refunded by your landlord | Written consent from you at cancellation request |
| Booking in Germany: Commercial landlord, no viewing, 14-day right of withdrawal | First month's rent refunded, Service Fee not refunded | Rent refund from landlord, we help. Service Fee not refunded. | No documentation required |
| Bereavement, war, declared emergency | Full refund | Service Fee refunded the same way | Written consent from your landlord at cancellation request |
| Minor issue, or reported late | Not refunded, but logged and followed up | Same | Written consent from both parties at cancellation request |
| Material differences: Apartment is materially different from the listing | Full refund if we confirm it's material, not a minor issue | Service Fee refunded, rent refund from landlord, we help. | Photos are mandatory, plus a written description at cancellation request |
| Suspected scam | Full refund once we confirm it | Service Fee refunded, rent refund from landlord, we help. | A police report and your bank's confirmation at cancellation request |
If you pay the first month’s rent through Wunderflats
If you change your mind after your booking is confirmed, your Service Fee is not refunded. Your first month’s rent isn't paid out to you automatically, but if your landlord agrees to release you, we can apply it to a future booking.
If bereavement, war, or a declared emergency stops you from moving in, share whatever official documentation you have. Your landlord needs to agree to end the booking, and once they do, your Service Fee and first month's rent are both fully refunded.
If your landlord withdraws from the booking, your Service Fee and first month's rent are both fully refunded once you confirm the cancellation. We'll also help you find another place.
For bookings in Germany: If your landlord is a commercial provider, you have a statutory right to withdraw within 14 days of your booking being confirmed, as long as you haven't visited the apartment in person. Your first month's is fully refunded, if you paid the first month’s rent through Wunderflats. Your Service Fee is not.
If something's wrong
If something is seriously wrong, tell us. If you suspect fraud, for example a redirected payment or a fake landlord identity, report it any time from booking through 24 hours after move-in, we'll investigate and may ask for a police report or bank confirmation.
If the apartment doesn't exist, isn't at the listed address, you can't get in, or is materially different from the listing, for example the wrong accommodation type or missing heating, water or electricity, claim it within 24 hours of move-in with photos. If we can verify the claim, your Service Fee and first month's rent are both fully refunded.
This 24-hour window runs from 00:00 on your move-in date. Your first month's rent payment stays paused until it closes, so we're able to help if something is wrong.
After the 24-hour window
At this point, your first month's rent has already been paid out to your landlord, so we can no longer refund it directly. Ending the tenancy is now a conversation between you and your landlord. What we can do: help re-list the apartment and find a replacement tenant, if your landlord agrees.
If you pay your landlord directly
If something is seriously wrong within 24 hours of move-in, for example the apartment doesn't exist, isn't at the listed address, you can't get in, or the listing is fraudulent, your Service Fee is fully refunded. If the apartment is materially different from the listing, claim it within 24 hours of move-in. If we confirm it's material, your Service Fee is fully refunded.
Either way, your rent needs to come back from your landlord directly. We can help you ask for it.
We don't collect or hold your first month's rent on this type of booking. You pay your landlord directly, from the start.
Your Service Fee follows the same rules as the rest of this article: refunded for the reasons listed here, not refunded if you simply change your mind.
Your rent is a different matter. We don't hold it, so we can't refund it ourselves, but we don't leave you to sort it out alone: If your landlord withdraws from the booking, your Service Fee is fully refunded, and we'll help you find another place. Your rent needs to be refunded to you by your landlord directly. We can step in and help resolve it with your landlord, even though we can't issue the rent refund ourselves.
For bookings in Germany: If your landlord is a commercial provider, you have a statutory right to withdraw within 14 days of your booking being confirmed, as long as you haven't visited the apartment in person. Your Service Fee is not refunded. Any money transferred to your landlord directly has to be refunded by them. We can step in and help you request it.
How to claim
- Click the link: Request a Cancellation
- Add the booking reference number. You can find it under “My Bookings” after your booking is completed
- Select the most applicable reason for your cancellation
- Describe what happened
- Upload documents, photos or video. Highlight the relevant part of a document so we can review it faster. Maximum 7 MB per file
- Then submit
Use the linked form, not chat or email. It records the exact date and time, which decides which policy applies to you. Our support team will help, but they will always point you back to the form.
How long it takes
Whatever the outcome, we acknowledge your claim the same day you submit it.
Decision: within 1 working day for straightforward cases, up to 5 working days where landlord input is needed.
Money: up to 3 working days by card, up to 8 by bank transfer, and always within 30 days of our decision at the latest.
Some outcomes depend on someone else. If your refund is conditional on confirming a new booking, or on your landlord agreeing to re-list, we can't give you a fixed date, but we'll keep you updated on where things stand.
What is not refunded
These situations are not covered by a refund:
Cleanliness · noise · the neighbourhood or how safe it feels · small differences in furniture or layout · anything your landlord can put right · the apartment not suiting your health needs · change of plans, travel delays, illness or double booking · anything reported after 24 hours
None of this means you're on your own. Where your landlord can fix something, for example cleanliness, furniture, or setup, tell us. We'll log it and follow up with your landlord to help get it resolved quickly, even though it isn't a refund case.