What MINEKO does

MINEKO GmbH is a Berlin-based PropTech and LegalTech company founded in 2014 that specialises in reviewing ancillary cost statements (Nebenkostenabrechnungen) and operating cost statements (Betriebskostenabrechnungen) for residential and commercial tenants in Germany. The platform operates a proprietary Prüfregelwerk (rule engine) updated against current German case law, combined with AI-supported analysis, smartphone document upload, plausibility checks, and an automated objection-letter generator. Each review produces a 20-30 page personalised Prüfbericht identifying errors and a legally substantiated Widerspruchsschreiben for tenants to challenge landlords. To date Mineko has reviewed over 149,772 statements and identified €77,880,371 in cost overcharges, claiming that 93% of residential and 90% of commercial statements contain errors.

Mineko's commercial model is hybrid. Direct-to-consumer pricing for private tenants starts at €49 per review, but the bulk of B2C volume is distributed free of charge to policyholders of more than 16 partnered German legal insurance providers (ARAG, DEVK, R+V, Zurich, Württembergische, LVM, WGV, Concordia, DA Direkt, BGV, VGH, ÖRAG, KS Auxilia, Adam Riese/Allianz, HUK-COBURG), which reimburse Mineko directly. The commercial (Gewerbe) segment targets multi-location tenants and Filialisten (retail chains, restaurants, hotels, fitness operators, pharmacies, offices, logistics) with individualised quotes, multi-year B2B contracts, and a dedicated password-protected B2B portal (b2b.mineko.de) for portfolio-level review management. The company also acts as a licensed debt collection provider for Außergerichtliche Mahnschreiben (out-of-court demand letters) when landlords do not respond to objections.

The company maintains a 11-50 employee headcount with seasonal expansion (100 Nebenkostenprüfer recruited for the 2023 season), is founder-led by Chris Möller (CEO) and Ivana Jana Tecic (COO), and operates primarily on AWS infrastructure with GDPR/DSGVO compliance and SHA-256 SSL encryption. Mineko has received coverage in major German press (Bild, Der Spiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Die Welt, Business Insider, Handelsblatt), holds a 2018 Finanztip recommendation, and maintains consumer ratings of 4.8/5 on Google (771 reviews) and 4.7/5 on Trustpilot (1,267 reviews). Only one funding round is disclosed — a €204,000 seed from Möller Ventures in April 2016 — suggesting the business has largely self-financed growth over its 11+ year operating history.

Name

MINEKO

Legal name

MINEKO GmbH

Website

https://mineko.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MINEKO is a Berlin-based PropTech/LegalTech company founded in 2014 that reviews German Nebenkostenabrechnungen and Betriebskostenabrechnungen for residential and commercial tenants, using a proprietary rule engine to identify overcharges and generate objection letters. It serves private tenants (often via partnered legal insurers) and multi-location commercial tenants through a dedicated B2B portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Insurance Reimbursement (B2C): Mineko receives payment directly from legal insurance (Rechtsschutzversicherung) partners for reviewing policyholders' utility cost statements. Customers with applicable insurance coverage receive the review free of charge. This model leverages long-standing partnerships with over 16 insurers including ARAG, DEVK, R+V, Zurich, Württembergische, and others, creating a recurring, volume-based revenue stream tied to the number of insured customers served.
2. Direct Consumer Payment (One-Time): Private customers without legal insurance pay a one-time fee starting at €49 for a utility cost review. The price varies by apartment size and desired turnaround time. No subscription or recurring fee is charged. Revenue is recognised upon delivery of the review report.
3. Commercial / B2B Review Services: Commercial tenants (Gewerbemieter) receive individualised quotes for reviewing operating cost statements. Business clients include retail chains, hospitality operators, pharmacy chains, and office space tenants. Revenue is project-based and negotiated per engagement, potentially covering multiple properties and multi-year periods. The service is also covered by commercial legal insurance policies for insured businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MINEKO provides expert review of German ancillary cost statements (Nebenkostenabrechnung/Betriebskostenabrechnung) for both residential and commercial tenants. Customers upload their utility bills and rental contracts via the digital platform; MINEKO's hybrid team of experts and proprietary rule engine identifies errors, overcharges, and legal non-compliance, then delivers a 20-30 page personalized review report together with a pre-drafted objection letter. The service is free for customers holding qualifying legal insurance and starting at €49 for private self-pay customers.

Product overview

MINEKO operates as a specialized operating cost examination platform offering two primary service lines: residential (Wohnen) and commercial (Gewerbe) cost statement audits. The core offering is the examination service where customers upload their annual operating cost statements and rental contracts; MINEKO's expert team and algorithms analyze them for errors, overcharges, and legal non-compliance. The platform delivers examination reports (Prüfbericht), pre-drafted objection letters (Widerspruchsschreiben), and optionally out-of-court demand letters. Commercial customers access the B2B Portal for managing multiple properties and locations. The service integrates with legal insurance providers to offer examinations free of charge for insured customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nebenkostenprüfung Wohnen (Residential Operating Cost Examination) Professional review service for private residential tenants in Germany to verify their annual Nebenkostenabrechnung for errors. Customers upload their cost statement and rental contract via the self-serve platform; experts and the Prüfregelwerk analyze the documents for billing errors and produce a 20-30 page review report with a pre-drafted objection letter. Free for customers with qualifying legal insurance; one-time fee starting at €49 for self-pay customers.
• Nebenkostenprüfung Gewerbe (Commercial Operating Cost Examination) Specialized review service for commercial tenants (Gewerbemieter) in Germany, covering retail, office, gastronomy, hotel, fitness, pharmacy and logistics property types. Includes comprehensive review reports, objection letters, and access to the B2B portal for managing multiple locations. Available via individualised quotes; covered at no additional cost for businesses holding qualifying commercial legal insurance.
• Außergerichtliches Mahnschreiben (Out-of-Court Demand Letter) Collection letter service included when a landlord does not respond to a tenant's objection. MINEKO acts as a licensed debt collection service provider to recover identified overpayments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of residential ancillary cost statements contain errors; average overcharge is €565
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and infrastructure.

• ARAG RechtsschutzversicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerARAG is one of Mineko's longest-standing legal insurance partners. ARAG policyholders with housing/immobility legal insurance coverage receive Mineko's ancillary cost statement review service free of charge as a covered benefit. The partnership has been active for over half a decade.
• DEVK RechtsschutzversicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDEVK policyholders with applicable housing legal insurance coverage receive Mineko's review service at no additional cost. Mineko handles the review and invoices DEVK directly.
• R+V RechtsschutzversicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerR+V is a key insurance partner offering Mineko's cost review service to its policyholders as part of its housing legal insurance coverage.
• Zurich VersicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerZurich insurance policyholders with housing legal insurance receive free access to Mineko's ancillary cost statement review service.
• Württembergische VersicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Württembergische legal insurance brand partners with Mineko to provide commercial and residential tenants with cost review services covered under their insurance policy.
• LVM VersicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLVM (Landesbrandversicherung Münster) includes Mineko's review service as a covered benefit for housing legal insurance policyholders.
• WGV VersicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWGV insurance policyholders with housing legal insurance coverage receive Mineko's ancillary cost review service free of charge.
• Concordia RechtsschutzversicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerConcordia integrates Mineko's review service into its legal insurance product for housing/immobility coverage.
• DA Direkt VersicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDA Direkt offers Mineko's cost review service to its legal insurance customers with housing coverage.
• BGV VersicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBGV (Badischer Versicherungsverein) integrates Mineko's review service into its housing legal insurance offerings.
• VGH VersicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVGH (Versicherung Hannover) is a regional insurance partner offering Mineko's review service to its legal insurance policyholders.
• ÖRAG RechtsschutzcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerÖRAG is a legal insurance specialist that partners with Mineko to provide ancillary cost statement reviews to its housing insurance policyholders.
• KS Auxilia RechtsschutzversicherungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKS Auxilia policyholders with the immobility/housing legal insurance module can have their commercial operating cost statements reviewed by Mineko at no additional cost. Mineko invoices KS Auxilia directly for the service. Specific partner page exists at mineko.de/gewerbe-rechtsschutz-nebenkostenpruefung/ks-auxilia.
• Adam Riese (Allianz subsidiary)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAdam Riese, the digital insurance brand of Allianz, includes Mineko's review service in its housing legal insurance product.
• HUK-COBURGcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHUK-COBURG, a major German car and legal insurance provider, offers Mineko's ancillary cost review service to its legal insurance customers.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationMineko uses AWS S3 for secure data storage of customer documents and review reports. SSL encryption with SHA-256 is used for all data transfers.
• Norton Secured (SSL/TLS)infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationMineko uses Norton Secured SSL certificates to protect data transmissions and verify website security for customers uploading sensitive financial documents.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• wenigermiete.de: German tenant-rights portal focused on reducing ancillary and operating costs for tenants. Closest direct competitor to Mineko — same target audience, same core value proposition of recovering overpaid Nebenkosten, and same self-serve review positioning in Germany.
• Vermietet.de: Germany-focused PropTech providing rental-property management software for landlords. Compares to Mineko as a German digital rental/housing-SaaS operator working with the same B2B property ecosystem on the landlord side of the rental cost chain.

Broad incumbents

• Immobilienscout24: Germany's largest property marketplace and broader housing-services platform (ImmoScout). Operates adjacent services around tenancy and is the dominant consumer entry point for German rental search, making it a comparable digital housing funnel even if it does not compete head-on in cost-statement review.
• Immowelt: Major German real estate portal with adjacent tenant- and landlord-facing services. Relevant peer as a Germany-based digital housing platform spanning listings through broader tenant tools, with overlapping target audience to Mineko's residential segment.
• CHECK24: Germany's leading insurance and price-comparison platform, including legal insurance modules. Compares as a distribution-side peer because it controls a significant share of Rechtsschutzversicherung policy acquisition — the same insurance channel Mineko rides for B2C demand.
• McMakler: German PropTech covering brokerage, valuation, and adjacent housing services. Compares to Mineko as a leading digital housing-services platform in Germany targeting landlords and tenants, though with a much broader offering rather than a single-purpose cost-review product.
• Verivox: Major German insurance and financial-services comparison platform. Relevant as a peer because, like CHECK24, it sits upstream of legal-insurance buyers — a channel Mineko monetizes today and whose policyholder base represents both a customer acquisition source and a potential bundled competitor.

Others

• Deutscher Mieterbund: Largest German tenant-rights association, providing legal consultation and tenant advocacy. Comparable to Mineko as a complementary service provider in the tenant-protection ecosystem — members consult Mieterbund lawyers on cost-statement disputes, which is the same decision Mineko digitizes for insured users.
• ARAG Rechtsschutzversicherung: One of Germany's largest legal insurance companies and a long-standing Mineko partner. Functions as both a distribution channel and a potential disintermediation risk: ARAG could expand its own in-house tenant-cost-review service to replace Mineko's revenue from ARAG policyholders.

Emerging players

• Homepanda: German rental management and tenant-services platform. Comparable to Mineko as a digital rental-services startup built for the German residential market with overlapping B2C tenant tools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights12 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mineko

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MINEKO