Bavaria courts handled 785 neighbour disputes in 2025

Nearly 800 neighbour disputes reached Bavarian local courts last year, according to figures reported by BR. The Munich Local Court recorded the most new cases, while the court district of Gemünden am Main recorded none.

A total of 785 neighbour-dispute cases were filed at Bavarian local courts in 2025, the state Justice Ministry said on Friday. A further 48 cases went to regional courts on appeal.

Munich led the figures with 57 new cases, followed by Nuremberg with 34 and Rosenheim with 29.

The figures come as FC Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß appeared in court in Munich on Thursday after being sued by a neighbour over two trees on his property in Bad Wiessee, Upper Bavaria. An amicable settlement failed.

Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has also made headlines in a neighbour dispute. In his case, he reportedly used a chainsaw on a neighbouring property in Starnberg several years ago after allegedly being obstructed by a roof beam.

Bavaria had the highest rate of neighbour disputes among Germany’s non-city states in a representative survey by insurer Allianz Direct. Nearly 58 percent of respondents said they had previously experienced problems with a neighbour.

Bavarian Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich urged residents to try talking to each other before taking disputes to court. In cases involving issues such as noise or garden planting, the law requires out-of-court mediation in Bavaria before legal proceedings can begin.

The court district of Gemünden am Main in Lower Franconia recorded no neighbour-dispute cases in 2025. Mayor Andreas Wirth said the figures suggested that personal discussions still played an important role in the district and that residents were often able to find compromises without court intervention.