Painting a flat: what it costs per square metre

What it costs to have a flat painted

The price includes covering and masking, two coats and tidying up afterwards. Paint is extra: you can buy it yourself and pay no mark-up, or we bring it. Which end of the range applies depends on the condition of the wall — a smooth, light wall is one thing, woodchip wallpaper with thirty years of paint on it is another.

Wall area is not floor area

The most common mistake in the calculation: multiply 55 square metres of flat by the price per square metre and you end up with far too little. It is the walls that get painted, and they are worked out like this:

As a rule of thumb, the wall area of a flat is about twice its floor area. In Leipzig’s old buildings (Altbau) with ceilings over three metres — in Gohlis, Plagwitz or the Südvorstadt almost the norm — it is more like two and a half to three times. In prefab blocks (Plattenbau), for example in Grünau, ceilings are around 2.60 metres, but there is often woodchip wallpaper with many layers of paint.

Three examples: a room, an old building, a new-build

Where filling has to be done first — cracks, wall-plug holes, flaking plaster — an extra 3–9 €/m² is added. Stripping and disposing of old wallpaper costs 5–20 €/m². Afterwards the wall usually has to be filled before paint will hold on it.

What pushes the price up or down

• Surface — smooth wall or woodchip with many layers, cracks, wall-plug holes, flaking patches
• Colour change — going from dark to light often needs a third coat
• Room height and stucco — old-building ceilings with stucco are hand work with a brush
• Empty or lived in — in an empty flat it goes much faster
• Stains — nicotine, old water stains and soot bleed through ordinary paint and need a stain-blocking primer

Buying the paint yourself: how much?

One litre of good emulsion paint covers roughly six to eight square metres per coat. For 150 m² of wall with two coats you therefore need around 40 to 50 litres. Better to buy one tub too many than one too few: paint bought later from a different batch sometimes has a different shade.

For kitchen and bathroom a scrubbable paint is worth it, for the ceiling a dead-matt one, because it hides unevenness. Tell us the colour before the appointment, then the quantity will be right.

Painting when you move out: what the Mietvertrag (tenancy agreement) requires

Whether you have to paint when you move out is set out in your Mietvertrag — whether the clause is valid is another question. Two decisions of the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Court of Justice) worth knowing:

• Taken over unrenovated — anyone who received the flat unrenovated when moving in generally does not have to hand it back renovated if the landlord paid no appropriate compensation for it (BGH, 18.03.2015, VIII ZR 185/14)
• Strong colours — anyone who hands back a flat taken over in neutral colours with red, yellow or blue walls can be liable for damages; so the walls should go back to a light colour (BGH, 06.11.2013, VIII ZR 416/12)

This is not legal advice. The Mieterverein Leipzig (tenants’ association) or a lawyer can check the Mietvertrag — afterwards we are happy to tell you what the painting costs. Other work before the handover is described under Flat renovation.

What we do not do

• Facades — exterior walls and scaffolding are handled by a licensed firm
• Mould remediation — a licensed firm establishes the cause, we paint afterwards
• Electrics — we do not take off sockets and switches; we mask them

Small repairs beforehand — a loose door handle, a crooked strip, silicone in the bathroom — we do in the same appointment at 40–60 €/hr — that saves a second trip.

Tax deduction

Painting counts as a Handwerkerleistung (tradesperson’s service). Under § 35a Abs. 3 EStG you deduct 20 % of the labour costs directly from your tax, up to 1,200 € a year — as a tenant or as an owner. Requirement: an invoice with the labour costs shown separately and payment by bank transfer. This is not tax advice.

How it works

• Send photos — each room once, plus approximate dimensions and the room height
• Fixed price — usually the same day, split into walls, ceilings and preparation
• Appointment — often within a few days; before a flat handover you should allow a week as a buffer
• Painting — cover, mask, fill where needed, two coats
• Final walk-through — we go through the rooms together; we take the sheeting and tape with us

There is no travel charge within 50 km of Leipzig. For longer distances we quote one total price from your photos, travel included.