Property templates and checklistsGermany

Buying

• TemplatePurchase offer template
• ChecklistPreliminary sale agreement checklist
• ChecklistBuyer's due diligence checklist

How buying works

1. 1

   Send a letter of intent

   Tell the seller or the estate agent your price and terms in a short letter (Kaufabsichtserklärung). The letter binds nobody.

2. 2

   Choose a notary

   A contract that obliges a party to buy or sell land needs a notary (BGB § 311b). No private preliminary contract exists. The buyer usually proposes the notary.

3. 3

   Check the notary's draft

   The notary drafts the purchase contract (Kaufvertrag). If the seller is a business, such as a developer, a consumer buyer should get it two weeks ahead.

4. 4

   Sign before the notary

   Both parties sign before the notary, who reads it aloud in full. The notary then has a priority notice (Auflassungsvormerkung) entered in the land register.

5. 5

   Notary clears the sale

   The notary collects the release of existing charges, the municipality's pre-emption waiver and any approvals, then tells the buyer when the price is due.

6. 6

   Pay the price and the tax

   The buyer pays the price when due. The buyer usually pays the land transfer tax: 3.5% to 6.5% of the price, depending on the Land.

7. 7

   Registration as owner

   After payment and the tax office's clearance certificate, the land registry enters the buyer as owner, often several months after signing.

Renting

• TemplateResidential lease agreement template
• TemplateMove-in inventory report template
• TemplateLease termination letter template

How renting works

Law and form

Civil Code (BGB, §§ 535 ff.). Most tenant protections are mandatory. There is no official lease form.

Lease term

Usually open-ended. A fixed term is valid only for a reason listed in BGB § 575.

Deposit cap

Three months' rent excluding operating costs. The tenant may pay it in three instalments.

Notice periods

Tenant: about three months, no reason needed. Landlord: legitimate interest, such as own use, and three to nine months.

Rent brake (Mietpreisbremse)

In tight markets a Land designates, starting rent is at most 10% above the comparative rent. Allowed until 31 Dec 2029.

Rent index (Mietspiegel)

Shows the local comparative rent. Compulsory in towns over 50,000 inhabitants.

Broker fee

A broker hired by the landlord cannot charge the tenant.

Pending reform

A government bill of April 2026 on index rents, furnished lets and short lets is before the Bundestag.