A German apartment building often has a Hausmeister, a caretaker, on site and a Hausverwaltung, a property management firm, in an office. The caretaker is the person tenants see. He is usually not the person who can receive a valid notice of defects. The Munich tenants’ association advises that the notice must go to the landlord or the landlord’s authorized representative, in writing if possible. Ein Anruf bspw. beim Hausmeister ist daher regelmäßig gerade keine ausreichende Mängelanzeige. A phone call to the caretaker, for example, is as a rule not a sufficient notice.