Buyer guide
Guide to buying land in Germany
50 articles on the questions that decide whether a land purchase should go ahead. We explain the terms and tell you what to check next. This does not replace an official or legal review.
Basics
27 articlesGerman land purchase due diligence checklist
The order to check a German parcel in, which office answers what, what each document costs, and the answers that should stop a purchase.
Read guide →Legal reviewGrundbuch and ALKIS: what each proves
The land register guarantees rights, the cadastre supplies the geometry. What each one proves, how to obtain both, and what a mismatch costs.
Read guide →Survey and boundariesBoundaries and land survey: what to check
Why the line on the map is not the line on the ground, who may establish a boundary, what a survey costs, and what to do about a difference in area.
Read guide →PlanningIs this plot buildable? Bebauungsplan check
Whether you can build on a German plot is decided by § 30, § 34 or § 35 BauGB. How to find out which applies, and what GRZ and setbacks allow.
Read guide →PlanningBuilding in the Außenbereich: § 35 rules
Why an ordinary house is usually refused outside the settlement, which projects are privileged, and the cheap test that settles a purchase.
Read guide →PermitsBuilding permits in Germany: procedures
Bauanzeige, simplified procedure or full permit: the four state routes, the deadlines that bind the authority, and what a Vorbescheid settles.
Read guide →Land-use burdensBaulasten: the register buyers forget
Public-law obligations bind every future owner and never appear in the Grundbuch. What they are, where to find them, and how one is removed.
Read guide →Environmental screeningContaminated land: what a buyer inherits
Owner liability follows the plot, not the polluter. How to check the Altlastenkataster, price a soil investigation, and see where liability stops.
Read guide →Environmental screeningFlood and nature protection for German land
Designated flood areas, protected biotopes, Natura 2000 and species law all restrict building. Where to look them up, and what an entry means for a purchase.
Read guide →Access and infrastructureAccess and Erschließung: what a plot needs
Secured access is a condition of every building permit. How access is secured, who pays for the road, and what an Erschließungsbeitrag can cost a buyer.
Read guide →Access and infrastructureUtility checks before buying German land
Electricity, water, sewer, gas and internet: who bills you, what the charges really cost, and the documents to collect before you sign.
Read guide →Costs and taxesGerman land purchase costs: tax and fees
Grunderwerbsteuer is 3.5 to 6.5 percent depending on the state, plus notary and registry fees, Erschließungsbeitrag and the annual Grundsteuer.
Read guide →Closing processGerman land purchase: notary and closing
What the German notary does and does not do, the two-week rule for the draft deed, when the money moves, and how long registration takes.
Read guide →Ownership modelsErbbaurecht: buying a hereditary building right
What the ground rent, remaining term, Heimfall, consent and compensation clauses mean before you buy an Erbbaurecht.
Read guide →HeritageMonuments and archaeology on a German plot
Listed buildings and ground monuments restrict what may be done and who pays for the dig. How the state systems work, and what tax relief is available.
Read guide →Legal reviewPre-emption rights in German land sales
A signed land contract can still be taken over by a municipality or the state. The pre-emption rights and approvals that stand between deed and register.
Read guide →Value and priceBodenrichtwert: valuing German land
Official land values are free, annual and widely misread. What a Bodenrichtwert is, what it is not, and how to adjust it for the plot in front of you.
Read guide →Legal reviewEasements and rights of way on German land
How to read Abteilung II of the Grundbuch: which easements bind a buyer, what they do to building plans, and how a burden is removed.
Read guide →Land typesBuying forest land in Germany: what to know
Forest is cheap per hectare because building, clearing, access, public entry and timber value all come with limits a buyer inherits.
Read guide →Closing processBuying German land from abroad
No residence or nationality requirement applies, but distance changes the practical route. Power of attorney, language, money and timing.
Read guide →RisksCheck historical mining before buying land
Old shafts, voids and mine water can change both ground conditions and liability; the mining record and geotechnical evidence show whether the plot is affected.
Read guide →Value and priceBauerwartungsland: when farmland may be built
How Bauerwartungsland is defined under the ImmoWertV, what rights an owner does not have, and how the value of such land is worked out.
Read guide →Building permissionSoil surveys and foundation choice
Who commissions a soil survey report, who is liable for mistakes in it, and what further approvals apply for groundwater and contamination.
Read guide →Survey and cadastreDividing a plot: survey and cadastral process
How dividing a German plot works: survey, cadastre, land register, approval rules and common mistakes when splitting a parcel in two.
Read guide →RisksCheck explosive ordnance before buying land
Historic aerial images and the relevant state service show whether a survey or clearance must be arranged before work can begin.
Read guide →RisksNeighbour boundaries, plants and fences
Neighbour law before buying land: boundary measurements, trees, hedges, overhang, fences, walls, state rules and dispute records.
Read guide →Closing processBuying land at a forced auction
How a forced auction of land works: seizure, value thresholds, security deposit, the knockdown decision and tax on a court-ordered purchase.
Read guide →States
16 articlesChoose a state
Buying land in Baden-Württemberg: checks and costs
The state building code, waterside buffers and a preliminary decision shape buildability; BORIS-BW is the official standard-land-value portal.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Bavaria: the permit and register traps
Bavaria has no general Baulasten register, so the setback rules, contaminated-land record and building authority's written answer must be reconciled carefully.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Berlin: what the district must confirm
The district office answers key planning questions; building obligations, Berlin's contaminated-land register and a preliminary decision complete the file.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Brandenburg: forests, water and building law
Forest, water and unexploded-ordnance risks shape the review; ALBOKAT, the contaminated-land register, adds to the planning records.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Bremen: the city-state checks
In this two-city state, the competent office and local rules depend on whether the plot is in Bremen or Bremerhaven.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Hamburg: urban due diligence
Hamburg's own offices hold the planning, building-obligation, contaminated-land and ordnance records, but each answer still needs to identify the exact parcel.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Hesse: the state-law checks
Hesse's setback, building-obligation and waterside-buffer rules require separate checks; ALTIS is the state's contaminated-land information system.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Lower Saxony: decisions and site risks
A preliminary decision can settle planning questions early; the site review must also cover building obligations, contamination and unexploded ordnance.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: coast, water
Coastal and water protection may constrain land more than building law; agricultural land also requires a separate transaction review.
Read guide →StateBuying land in North Rhine-Westphalia: registers and fees
Building obligations, contaminated-land information and preliminary decisions come from different offices; include their fees in the purchase budget.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Rhineland-Palatinate: soil and values
BIS-BoKat is the soil-protection information system and BORIS.RLP holds official land values; building, water and forest questions stay regional.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Saarland: mining damage and ground movement
Mining damage warrants a separate enquiry here; Saarland's ground-movement register supplements the planning, building-obligation and contaminated-land records.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Saxony: registers, water and mining
Setbacks, building obligations and waterside buffers need separate evidence; SALKA is Saxony's contaminated-land register.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Saxony-Anhalt: planning, tax and heritage
Building law and waterside buffers shape buildability; building obligations, contamination and heritage status need parcel-specific answers.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Schleswig-Holstein: coast, soil and access
Coastal and nature risks join planning and building-obligation checks; ALTIS-SH records suspected and confirmed contaminated land.
Read guide →StateBuying land in Thuringia: permits, data and boundaries
Building law, waterside buffers and neighbour law overlap; THALIS records suspected and confirmed contaminated land in Thuringia.
Read guide →Comparisons
7 articlesGerman building setbacks: 16-state comparison
Building setbacks at the plot boundary compared: factor H, minimum distances, special cases and checks before buying land in Germany.
Read guide →ComparisonBaulast: German states compared
Baulast or Grunddienstbarkeit? Which register each sits in, what each one binds, and which states keep no Baulasten register at all.
Read guide →ComparisonMonument protection across Germany compared
Monument protection when buying land compared by state: listing systems, Schatzregal, responsible authorities and checks before building or excavation.
Read guide →ComparisonGerman state geoportals compared
Geoportals for land buyers compared: development plans, ALKIS, Bodenrichtwert, data dates, responsibility and limits of map views.
Read guide →ComparisonGerman land transfer tax: 16-state comparison
Land transfer tax when buying land compared: state rates, tax base, due date and checks buyers should make before signing.
Read guide →ComparisonRoad development contributions by German state
Road development contributions compared across Germany: abolished, optional and continuing regimes, plus the costs buyers still need to check.
Read guide →ComparisonPermit-free building rules across Germany
Permit-free garden sheds, garages and fences compared: area and volume limits, outer areas, local rules and checks for buyers.
Read guide →Editorial
1 articleFrom the guide to your own parcel
The articles explain what has to be checked in Germany. The report runs those same checks against the parcel you confirm on the map.