Real estate glossary Berlin

The terms are listed alphabetically. Use the letter bar to jump to an initial letter; each entry has its own anchor and can be linked to directly.

A

Abgeschlossenheitsbescheinigung (certificate of self-containment)

Certificate from the building authority that the flats or other rooms are self-contained. It must be attached to the consent to registration (Eintragungsbewilligung) together with the division plan (Aufteilungsplan) if flat ownership (Wohnungseigentum) is to be entered in the land register (§ 7 para. 4 WEG, Residential Property Act); separate ownership (Sondereigentum) should only be granted for self-contained rooms (§ 3 para. 3 WEG).

Source: § 7 Residential Property Act and § 3 Residential Property Act

Altlast (contaminated site)

Decommissioned landfills and other plots on which waste was stored (Altablagerungen), as well as sites of decommissioned installations where environmentally hazardous substances were handled (Altstandorte), in each case if they give rise to hazards (§ 2 para. 5 BBodSchG, Federal Soil Protection Act).

In detail: Contaminated land register Berlin

Altlastenkataster (contaminated land register)

In Berlin, the contaminated land register is called the Bodenbelastungskataster; its legal basis is § 6 of the Berlin Soil Protection Act (Berliner Bodenschutzgesetz). It lists more than 11,650 sites and is not public. Owners or their authorised representatives can obtain information from the district environmental office (Umweltamt) for €5 to €500.

In detail: Contaminated land register Berlin

Apostille (certificate of authenticity)

Proof that a foreign document is authentic, such as a power of attorney certified in the country of residence. In the states party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, it is issued by an authority of the state in which the document was drawn up; otherwise the German mission abroad confirms its authenticity by legalisation (§ 13 Konsulargesetz, Consular Act).

In detail: Selling while you live abroad

Auflassungsvormerkung (priority notice of conveyance)

A placeholder in the land register that secures the property for the buyer until the buyer is registered as owner. As long as it is registered, the seller cannot sell to anyone else and cannot take out new loans secured on the property without the buyer's consent.

In detail: Notary appointment and land register

B

Baulast (building encumbrance)

An obligation under public law, such as a setback area or a right of way in favour of a neighbour. It is not recorded in the land register but in the register of building encumbrances (Baulastenverzeichnis) kept by the district building authority. If no building encumbrance is registered, the negative certificate costs €17 per plot.

In detail: Documents for selling a property

Bebauungsplan (development plan)

Plan that sets out what may be built on a plot: the type of use, for example residential or commercial, the extent of use, such as floor area and height, and the area that may be built on. The Geoportal Berlin shows whether one applies; binding information comes from the district's urban planning office (Stadtplanungsamt).

In detail: Selling a plot in Berlin

Demand-based certificate

Energy performance certificate that calculates what the building needs. It is based on a calculation for the building from its insulation, windows and heating, which is why the result can be compared with other buildings.

In detail: Energy performance certificate and mandatory information

Standard land value (Bodenrichtwert)

An average location value for undeveloped land in euros per square metre of plot area. In Berlin, the valuation committee (Gutachterausschuss) determines it every year as of 1 January. It applies to a typical, notional plot in the zone and is not a selling price for a built-up house or a flat.

In detail: Standard land value in Berlin

BORIS Berlin

The application in which the Berlin standard land values can be looked up free of charge: enter the address, choose the reference date, click on the zone. The reference dates there go back to 1 January 2002; older ones, back to 31 December 1994, are shown in the Geoportal Berlin.

In detail: Standard land value in Berlin

E

Eigentumsumschreibung (transfer of ownership)

The entry of the buyer as owner in the land register; only then does the buyer become the owner (§ 873 BGB, German Civil Code). This can be several weeks or months after handover; for the owners' association, this second date is what counts in principle.

In detail: Service charge and special levy when selling

Energy performance certificate

The document that shows how much energy the building uses. If one is available, five items of information from it must appear in every advertisement (§ 87 GModG, Building Modernisation Act, formerly GEG). When selling, it must be presented at the viewing at the latest; the buyer receives it after signing at the notary.

In detail: Energy performance certificate and mandatory information

Erbbaurecht (heritable building right)

The transferable and inheritable right to have a building on or below the surface of a plot. Legally, it is an encumbrance on the plot in favour of the holder (§ 1 para. 1 Erbbaurechtsgesetz, Heritable Building Rights Act).

Source: § 1 Heritable Building Rights Act

Erbengemeinschaft (community of heirs)

If someone leaves several heirs, the estate belongs to them jointly (§ 2032 BGB, German Civil Code); nobody owns a specific part of the house. The heirs can only decide on individual items from the estate jointly (§ 2040 BGB), so all of them sign a sale.

In detail: Property in a community of heirs

Certificate of inheritance

Proof that someone is an heir; it is applied for at the probate court (Nachlassgericht), and the fees depend on the value of the estate. Without a certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) or a notarial will with the record of its opening, the land registry will not change any entry, and nothing can be sold either.

In detail: Property in a community of heirs

Erhaltungsrücklage (maintenance reserve)

Reserve that an owners' association builds up; an appropriate maintenance reserve is part of proper administration (§ 19 para. 2 no. 4 WEG, Residential Property Act). It used to be called Instandhaltungsrücklage. It is an asset of the association and is not paid out to the seller on a sale.

In detail: Service charge and special levy when selling

Erschließungsbeitrag (development charge)

When a public road is built to its final standard for the first time, the owners of the plots it serves bear the costs that can be passed on as a development charge. Unless otherwise agreed in the purchase contract, the seller bears the charges for works on which construction has begun by the time the contract is concluded (§ 436 para. 1 BGB, German Civil Code).

In detail: Selling a plot in Berlin

Ertragswertverfahren (income approach)

Valuation based on what a property earns over the long term (§ 27 ImmoWertV, Real Estate Valuation Ordinance). The operating costs are deducted from the annual rents customary in the market; the net income is reduced by the return on the land value and capitalised over the remaining useful life, and the land value is then added back.

In detail: Valuation: comparison, income and cost value

F

Cadastral map

Extract from the real estate cadastre (Liegenschaftskataster) showing plot boundaries and buildings. In Berlin, it is issued by the surveying office of the district in which the plot is located; it costs €16 per sheet.

In detail: Documents for selling a property

G

Grundbuch (land register)

Official register of which plots exist, who owns them and who else has rights to them. It consists of the inventory (Bestandsverzeichnis) and three sections: section I names the owner, section II the rights of others, such as a right of residence, plus priority notices, and section III the loans secured on the property, i.e. mortgages and land charges (Hypotheken and Grundschulden).

In detail: Notary appointment and land register

Land register extract

Copy of the land register. It is available to anyone who demonstrates a legitimate interest, and always to owners (§ 12 GBO, Land Register Code); a simple printout costs €10, an official printout €20. Owners cannot access their land register online.

In detail: Documents for selling a property

Real estate transfer tax

Tax that the buyer pays once to the State of Berlin. Since 2014, Berlin has charged six per cent, calculated on the purchase price in the contract. Seek tax advice for your individual case.

In detail: Additional purchase costs in Berlin

Grundschuld (land charge)

Entry in section III of the land register for a loan secured on the property. On a sale, the notary obtains permission from the banks to have old land charges deleted from the land register.

In detail: Notary appointment and land register

Grundsteuer (property tax)

Property tax is assessed on the basis of the circumstances on 1 January: whoever is the owner on that day owes it to the tax office for the whole year, even if they sell in the summer. Buyer and seller usually split the burden between themselves from the day of handover. Seek tax advice for your individual case.

In detail: Property tax when selling

Gutachterausschuss (valuation committee)

The valuation committee keeps the purchase price collection (Kaufpreissammlung) from the purchase contracts that notaries must send to it (§ 195 BauGB, Federal Building Code), and derives the standard land values from it. Information from the purchase price collection is only provided where there is a legitimate interest.

In detail: Standard land value in Berlin

H

Halbteilungsprinzip (equal split of the commission)

Rule for the agent's commission since 23 December 2020: when a flat or a single-family house is sold to a private individual, buyer and seller share the commission. If the agent works for both, both pay the same amount (§ 656c BGB, German Civil Code); if only one side engaged the agent, that side may pass on at most half, and the other side only pays once proof has been provided (§ 656d BGB).

In detail: Agent's commission in Berlin

Hausgeld (service charge)

The monthly advance that each flat owner pays to the association. The owners decide on the amount on the basis of the budget plan (§ 28 para. 1 WEG, Residential Property Act); towards the association, it is owed by whoever is the owner when it falls due.

In detail: Service charge and special levy when selling

Hebesatz (municipal multiplier)

Percentage used to calculate property tax: the base amount (Messbetrag) times the multiplier gives the annual tax. In Berlin, a multiplier of 470 per cent has applied since 2025; until 2024 it was 810 per cent under the old law. Seek tax advice for your individual case.

In detail: Property tax when selling

I

Instandhaltungsrücklage (maintenance reserve)

Former name of the Erhaltungsrücklage, i.e. the reserve of an owners' association (§ 19 para. 2 no. 4 WEG, Residential Property Act). The property manager reports its balance every year in the asset report (§ 28 para. 4 WEG).

See Erhaltungsrücklage (maintenance reserve). In detail: Service charge and special levy when selling

J

Jahresabrechnung (annual statement)

Statement that the property manager draws up after the end of the calendar year. The owners then resolve on additional contributions or on adjusting the advances (§ 28 para. 2 WEG, Residential Property Act); in practice, the amount to be paid in addition or refunded is called the Abrechnungsspitze (statement balance).

In detail: Service charge and special levy when selling

K

Kappungsgrenze (cap on rent increases)

Upper limit for rent increases. In an existing tenancy, § 558 BGB (German Civil Code) limits how much the rent may rise within three years. After a modernisation, the rent may rise by no more than three euros per square metre per month within six years, and by only two euros if the net cold rent is below seven euros per square metre (§ 559 para. 3a BGB).

In detail: Modernisation levy and the rent cap (Mietpreisbremse) in Berlin

Kaufnebenkosten (additional purchase costs)

Costs that come on top of the purchase price. In Berlin there are four items: real estate transfer tax, notary, land registry and, if an agent is involved, the agent's commission; with an agent, they add around eleven to twelve per cent to the purchase price. Banks generally do not lend this money.

In detail: Additional purchase costs in Berlin

Kaufpreisfaktor (price-to-rent multiplier)

Purchase price as a multiple of the annual net cold rent. For the Berlin rental apartment buildings that the valuation committee evaluated for the 2025 property yield rates (Liegenschaftszinssätze), buyers paid on average 26.6 times the annual net cold rent.

In detail: Valuation: comparison, income and cost value

Kündigungssperrfrist (termination protection period)

After a conversion into owner-occupied flats, this period protects the tenant against the new owner giving notice because the owner wants to move in or to sell at a better price (§ 577a BGB, German Civil Code). Normally it is three years from the sale; where housing is scarce, the federal states may extend it to up to ten years, and Berlin has done so.

In detail: Tenant's right of first refusal

L

Liegenschaftszins (property yield rate)

The interest rate at which properties of a given type earn a market-standard return on average (§ 21 para. 2 ImmoWertV, Real Estate Valuation Ordinance); it is the key figure in the income approach. For Berlin rental apartment buildings, the valuation committee gives 2.6 to 4.9 per cent (property yield rates 2025).

In detail: Valuation: comparison, income and cost value

Consent to deletion

Declaration by which the bank consents to the deletion of a land charge. The charge is deleted when the bank consents to the deletion and the owner agrees (§§ 19, 27 GBO, Land Register Code); when selling, the owner clarifies at an early stage whether the bank will issue it against payment from the purchase price.

In detail: Documents for selling a property

M

Agent's commission

The agent's commission only arises if there is an agency agreement, the agent has identified the property or arranged the purchase, and a purchase contract is concluded as a result. In Berlin it is usually 7.14 per cent of the purchase price including VAT, split into two halves of 3.57 per cent each; this figure is not laid down in any law.

In detail: Agent's commission in Berlin

Rent cap (Mietpreisbremse)

Rule in §§ 556d to 556g BGB (German Civil Code): when a new tenant moves in, the net cold rent may be no more than ten per cent above the local comparative rent. Berlin has again declared the whole city an area where housing is scarce, from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029; there are four exceptions, for example for new builds.

In detail: The rent cap (Mietpreisbremse) in Berlin

Mietspiegel (rent index)

Overview that sorts flats into fields by year of construction, size and fittings and gives a range for each field. In Berlin, it is the benchmark for the local comparative rent; where a flat lies within the range depends on features such as a second bathroom or a missing lift.

In detail: The rent cap (Mietpreisbremse) in Berlin

Milieuschutz (social preservation area, soziales Erhaltungsgebiet)

Social preservation areas are intended to preserve the composition of the resident population in a neighbourhood (§ 172 para. 1 sentence 1 no. 2 BauGB, Federal Building Code). Demolition, alteration and change of use of buildings require a permit there; there are 82 such areas in Berlin (as of 16/09/2026).

In detail: Social preservation map Berlin (Milieuschutz)

Modernisierungsumlage (modernisation levy)

Rent increase after a modernisation: the annual rent may rise by eight per cent of what the landlord has spent on the flat (§ 559 BGB, German Civil Code). Pure repair costs and subsidies are deducted first, and two caps limit the increase.

In detail: Modernisation levy

N

Negativattest (negative certificate)

Certificate from the district office (Bezirksamt) that no permit under the ban on the misuse of residential space is needed for a use, for example because the rooms are not protected residential space (§ 5 ZwVbVO, Berlin Ordinance on the Ban on Misuse of Residential Space). It costs €77 to €231, or €231 to €693 with a yield calculation.

In detail: Ban on the misuse of residential space (Zweckentfremdungsverbot) when selling

Nießbrauch (usufruct)

The right to draw the benefits from a thing (§ 1030 BGB, German Civil Code): the holder can move in themselves or let the property and keep the rent. The usufruct is recorded in section II of the land register and remains in place on a sale.

In detail: Selling with a right of residence or usufruct

Notaranderkonto (notary escrow account)

Special account for third-party funds into which the notary must pay money entrusted to them without delay (§ 58 para. 1 BeurkG, Notarisation Act). The notary may only accept money for safekeeping if the parties have a legitimate interest in security (§ 57 para. 2 BeurkG).

Source: § 58 Notarisation Act and § 57 Notarisation Act

Nutzungsentschädigung (compensation for use)

Money that a spouse who has moved out can demand if the other stays in the shared house. The benchmark is the rent the house would fetch locally, reduced by the share that already belongs to the one who stays; it is usually offset against maintenance payments.

In detail: Property in a divorce

O

Local comparative rent

The rents most recently agreed or changed in the city for similar flats; similar means of the same type, size, fittings, condition and location. In Berlin, the rent index (Mietspiegel) is used for this.

In detail: The rent cap (Mietpreisbremse) in Berlin

S

Market adjustment factor

Factor used to adjust the provisional cost value to the market, because buyers do not simply pay the construction costs (§§ 21 para. 3, 39 ImmoWertV, Real Estate Valuation Ordinance). For one- and two-family houses in Berlin, it averaged 1.06 and falls as the cost value rises.

In detail: Valuation: comparison, income and cost value

Sachwertverfahren (cost approach)

Valuation based on what the buildings would cost to build new, less age-related depreciation, plus the land value (§§ 35, 36 ImmoWertV, Real Estate Valuation Ordinance). The market adjustment factor (Sachwertfaktor) adjusts the provisional cost value to the market; the land value is usually derived from the standard land value (Bodenrichtwert).

In detail: Valuation: comparison, income and cost value

Sonderumlage (special levy)

A one-off payment with which the owners' association finances a major expense, such as a new roof or heating system. According to the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof), it is owed to the association by whoever is the owner when the property manager calls it in, even if it was resolved earlier (V ZR 257/16).

In detail: Service charge and special levy when selling

Spekulationsfrist (ten-year holding period)

Ten-year period for a private sale transaction (§ 23 para. 1 no. 1 EStG, Income Tax Act): if more than ten years pass between the purchase and the sale of a property, the gain is tax-free; the date of the purchase contracts at the notary is what counts, and there is an exception for owner-occupied properties. Seek tax advice for your individual case.

In detail: Ten-year holding period (Spekulationsfrist) for property

T

Teilungserklärung (declaration of division)

Declaration that divides the plot into co-ownership shares with separate ownership (§ 8 WEG, Residential Property Act) and sets out what belongs to the flat. It can stipulate that a sale requires the property manager's consent.

In detail: Documents for selling a property

Teilungsversteigerung (partition auction)

Auction of a jointly owned property by the court, with the proceeds divided up. In a community of heirs, any heir can apply for it alone (§ 180 Zwangsversteigerungsgesetz, Compulsory Auction Act); it is considered a last resort when nothing else works.

In detail: Property in a community of heirs

Textform (text form)

The form that § 656a BGB (German Civil Code) requires for an agency agreement for a flat or a single-family house: legible and durable, i.e. email or letter; no signature is needed. An agreement by phone is not enough, and if the form is not met, no commission is payable.

In detail: Agent's commission in Berlin

U

Umwandlungsverordnung (conversion regulation, Umwandlungsverbot)

Under § 250 BauGB (Federal Building Code) and the Berlin conversion regulation (Umwandlungsverordnung), dividing existing buildings with more than five flats into owner-occupied flats (Wohnungseigentum) requires a permit throughout Berlin until the end of 2030. In social preservation areas (Milieuschutz), § 172 BauGB also applies; there, among other things, the permit must be granted if the owner undertakes to sell the flats only to the tenants for seven years.

In detail: Social preservation map Berlin (Milieuschutz)

Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung (tax clearance certificate)

Confirmation from the tax office that nothing is outstanding for tax purposes; it is issued once the real estate transfer tax has been paid. Without this document, the land registry will not enter the buyer as owner. Seek tax advice for your individual case.

In detail: Additional purchase costs in Berlin

S

Consumption-based certificate

Energy performance certificate based on the actual consumption figures for the last three years; it shows what the occupants actually used. The value therefore fluctuates with heating habits, vacancy and the weather.

In detail: Energy performance certificate and mandatory information

Vergleichswertverfahren (sales comparison approach)

Valuation based on a sufficient number of purchase prices of similar properties sold close to the valuation date (§§ 24, 25 ImmoWertV, Real Estate Valuation Ordinance). It requires enough sales and in practice is used mainly for owner-occupied flats.

In detail: Valuation: comparison, income and cost value

Verkehrswert (market value)

The price that could be obtained on the valuation date in the ordinary course of business according to the legal circumstances and actual characteristics, the other features and the location of the property, without regard to unusual or personal circumstances. It is determined using the sales comparison, income or cost approach (§ 6 ImmoWertV, Real Estate Valuation Ordinance).

In detail: Valuation: comparison, income and cost value

Verwalterzustimmung (property manager's consent)

The property manager's consent to the sale of an owner-occupied flat, if the declaration of division requires it. Without it, the purchase contract is provisionally invalid (§ 12 WEG, Residential Property Act); as a rule, the notary obtains it.

In detail: Documents for selling a property

Vorfälligkeitsentschädigung (prepayment penalty)

Compensation for the loss that the bank may claim if a property loan is terminated early because of a sale during the fixed-rate period (§ 490 para. 2 BGB, German Civil Code). Among other cases, it does not apply if the fixed-rate period has expired or more than ten years have passed since the payout.

In detail: Prepayment penalty when selling

Vorkaufsrecht der Gemeinde (the municipality's right of first refusal)

The district's right to buy on the same terms as the buyer when a plot is sold, for example in a social preservation area (§ 24 para. 1 sentence 1 no. 4 BauGB, Federal Building Code). After notarisation, the notary asks the district whether such a right exists and is being exercised; only then may the land registry enter the buyer (§ 28 para. 1 BauGB).

In detail: Selling a plot in Berlin

Vorkaufsrecht des Mieters (tenant's right of first refusal)

The tenant's right under § 577 BGB (German Civil Code) to buy the flat on the same terms as the buyer the seller has found. It only applies to the first sale of a flat that was converted into an owner-occupied flat after the tenant moved in; the tenant has two months from the seller's complete notification.

In detail: Tenant's right of first refusal

W

Wertrelevante Geschossflächenzahl (WGFZ, value-relevant floor area ratio)

Ratio of the above-ground floor areas to the plot area (§ 16 para. 4 ImmoWertV, Real Estate Valuation Ordinance). A standard land value marked “W 2.5” applies to a residential plot for which the valuation committee assumes a typical floor area of two and a half times the plot area.

In detail: Standard land value in Berlin

Wirtschaftsplan (budget plan)

Plan that the property manager of an owners' association draws up for each calendar year (§ 28 para. 1 WEG, Residential Property Act). On its basis, the owners resolve on the amount of the service charge advances and of the payments into the reserve.

In detail: Service charge and special levy when selling

Wohnlage (residential location rating)

Feature of the Berlin rent index with three levels: basic, average and good. It is one component of the local comparative rent; which address has which residential location rating is listed in the street directory for the 2026 rent index. The residential location rating is not a verdict on the purchase price.

In detail: Berlin residential location map

Wohnrecht (right of residence)

The right to use a building or part of it as a home to the exclusion of the owner (§ 1093 BGB, German Civil Code, called Wohnungsrecht in the statute). The holder may only let it if this is permitted; the right is recorded in section II of the land register and remains in place on a sale.

In detail: Selling with a right of residence or usufruct

Z

Zugewinnausgleich (equalisation of accrued gains)

Equalisation on divorce without a prenuptial agreement: the spouse who gained more assets during the marriage pays the other half of the difference. A property is included at its market value less debts; the reference date is the day on which the divorce petition was served.

In detail: Property in a divorce

Zweckentfremdungsverbot (ban on the misuse of residential space)

Berlin rule under which, since 1 May 2014, residential space may only be used for purposes other than living with a permit from the district office (§ 1 ZwVbG, Berlin Act on the Ban on Misuse of Residential Space). This covers, for example, vacancy of more than three months, holiday letting, office use and demolition; the law makes no exception for the period of a sale.

In detail: Ban on the misuse of residential space (Zweckentfremdungsverbot) when selling

Sources

The explanations summarise the linked BBI guides, as read on 10 October 2026; their sources are listed there. For the terms without a guide of their own, the statutory wording applies:

• § 7 Residential Property Act (WEG), land register provisions
• § 3 WEG, contractual granting of separate ownership
• § 1 Heritable Building Rights Act (ErbbauRG), statutory content
• § 58 Notarisation Act (BeurkG), carrying out safekeeping
• § 57 BeurkG, application for safekeeping

All sources accessed on 10 October 2026.