The key points at a glance
- Allow a realistic several months for the sale: from the decision through documents and marketing to the notary appointment and handover.
- For condominiums, buyers and banks specifically request the WEG documents: the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung), minutes, annual statements, the annual budget and the balance of the maintenance reserve. Most of them come from the property management company.
- The manager's consent to the sale (Verwalterzustimmung) under Section 12 of the German Condominium Act (WEG) is only required if the declaration of division provides for it. Consent is the normal case.
- Gains can be taxable if no more than 10 years lie between purchase and sale (the ten-year speculation period). There is an important exemption for owner-occupiers.
- Your share of the maintenance reserve is not paid out, it passes to the buyer. A well-funded reserve is a selling point.
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The sale in seven steps
This is how a property sale typically unfolds. Give yourself enough time for the whole process: if you do not have to sell under pressure, you decide more calmly, negotiate better and can prepare every step properly.
Decision and timeline
Clarify the basic questions at the start: By when would you like to sell, and what price do you have in mind? Allow a realistic several months, from preparation to handover. A generous timeline takes the pressure out of every subsequent step. With a condominium, it pays to involve the property management company early and request the WEG documents right at the beginning.
Compile your documents
Complete documents are your strongest selling tool: they build trust and speed up the financing approval from the buyer's bank. What exactly belongs in the sales file, from the land register extract to the minutes of the owners' meetings, is covered in the next section.
Set the asking price
The basis is a realistic valuation of your property. A soundly justified price attracts serious buyers and makes the later negotiation easier. How to arrive at a well-founded estimate is covered further down in the section on the asking price.
Marketing
Now the exposé takes shape: meaningful photos, a floor plan, the key facts and an honest description. Remember that the property listing must already contain the mandatory details from the energy performance certificate. A well-kept, tidy impression in photos and at viewings costs little and achieves a lot.
Viewings and negotiation
Take time for viewings and answer questions openly: well-informed buyers decide faster and with more confidence. Before the final price negotiation, check the buyer's financial standing, for example via a financing confirmation from their bank. This protects you from the sale collapsing shortly before the notary appointment.
Notary appointment
In Germany, every property purchase is notarized. The notary drafts the purchase agreement, discusses it with both sides and notarizes it at the appointment. The transfer of ownership to the buyer then proceeds via the priority notice of conveyance and the entry in the land register. For condominiums there is one more point: if the declaration of division provides for the manager's consent to the sale, it is required for the transfer (more on this below).
Handover
On the agreed date you hand over the property: with a handover report recording the meter readings, all keys handed over and the condition. With that, your sale is complete. For a condominium, the property management company then switches everything over to the new owner.
The documents you need
Buyers, and above all their banks, decide on the basis of documents. The more complete your sales file, the more credible your offer appears and the sooner the buyer's financing is in place. For every property this includes:
- a current land register extract
- floor plans and the living space calculation
- the energy performance certificate
- the year of construction and a list of modernizations
A word on the energy performance certificate, because clear rules apply here: its mandatory details already belong in the property listing. You present the certificate unprompted at the viewing at the latest, and on sale it is handed over to the buyer. Which certificate is the right one for your property and how to obtain it is covered in the guide to the energy performance certificate.
Additional documents for a condominium
For a condominium, a second package is added: the documents of the condominium owners' association. Buyers and their banks request exactly these documents, because they show how the community is doing financially and organizationally:
- the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) and the community rules
- minutes of the most recent owners' meetings (three is customary)
- current annual statements and the annual budget (Wirtschaftsplan)
- the amount of the monthly Hausgeld payment
- the balance of the maintenance reserve
- details of resolved or upcoming measures
Most of these documents come from the property management company, some for a fee. A well-run management company supplies them quickly and completely. So request the package early, ideally before your listing goes online.
Good to know
Order pays off twice when selling: complete minutes, clean statements and well-maintained common property support the selling price. Unclear WEG affairs, by contrast, unsettle buyers and banks.
The manager's consent to the sale: usually just a formality
Many condominium sellers encounter this term for the first time at the notary: the manager's consent to the sale (Verwalterzustimmung) under Section 12 of the German Condominium Act (WEG). Here is what is behind it: the declaration of division can stipulate that the sale of an apartment requires the consent of the property manager. Only if your declaration of division contains such a provision is the consent required at all. Whether that is the case for you is stated directly in the declaration of division.
The good news: consent is the normal case. The manager may only refuse it for good cause. The consent is publicly certified and is required for the transfer of ownership in the land register. Simply plan this step in and inform the management company early about the upcoming sale, and nothing will be delayed at this point.
Setting a realistic asking price
The asking price is the single most important decision in the entire sale. A realistically set price attracts serious buyers and often leads to a deal more quickly. A clearly excessive price deters many buyers from the outset, and a price that is too low gives money away.
The basis should therefore be an honest valuation that takes into account, among other things, location, size, condition and year of construction, and for condominiums also the situation of the owners' association. How to assess the value of your property on a sound basis, which methods exist and when a formal appraisal pays off is covered in the guide to property valuation.
Selling with or without an estate agent?
Whether you engage an estate agent is your free choice. A good agent takes on the valuation, the exposé, inquiries, viewings and the negotiation, but charges a commission in return. If you bring time, market knowledge and a taste for organizing, you can also handle the sale yourself. Both routes lead to the goal if the preparation and the documents are right.
Important to know: for sales of apartments and single-family homes to consumers, the statutory commission split has applied since the end of 2020. The buyer pays no more commission than the seller. So factor your share into your price considerations from the start.
Costs and taxes when selling
Compared with the buyer, the seller usually gets off lightly on the transaction costs. You should still know these items. All figures are a non-binding orientation; the actual costs depend on the individual case:
- Estate agent's commission (your share): if you engage an estate agent, under the statutory commission split.
- Energy performance certificate: if no valid certificate exists for your property yet.
- Deletion of a land charge: notary and land register fees, if an old land charge is to be deleted from the land register.
- Early repayment penalty: if you pay off an ongoing property loan early, your bank may demand compensation. Ask for the amount early.
For context, the buyer's side: the buyer usually bears the real estate transfer tax (3.5 to 6.5 percent of the purchase price, depending on the federal state) and the notary and land register fees (often around 1.5 to 2 percent). These, too, are orientation values.
The ten-year speculation period: when the gain is taxable
For a private sale, the basic rule of Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act applies: if no more than 10 years lie between purchase and sale, the gain is generally taxable. This period is commonly called the "speculation period" (Spekulationsfrist).
The important exemption for owner-occupiers: no tax is due if you used the property as your own home in the year of the sale and in the two preceding years, or lived in it yourself throughout. For many owner-occupiers, the sale is therefore tax-free.
Tip before you sell
Run through the periods carefully once, especially if the purchase was less than 10 years ago or the property was let for a time. Individual questions on this belong with your tax advisor: early advice creates clarity here before you commit.
Handover and the role of the property management company
The handover concludes your sale, cleanly documented in a handover report: the meter readings, all keys handed over and the condition of the property are recorded, both sides sign, and each receives a copy. That way, no questions remain open later.
With a condominium, the property management company works along in the background, at several points:
- Hausgeld: It is usually apportioned between seller and buyer as of the handover date. The management company is informed of the change of ownership and switches everything over.
- Maintenance reserve: Your share is tied to the apartment and passes to the buyer. There is no payout to you, but a well-funded reserve is a strong selling point.
- Documents and consent: From the WEG documents to the manager's consent to the sale (where the declaration of division provides for it), key building blocks of the sale come directly from the management company.
At the latest when selling, then, the value of a good management company becomes visible: complete minutes, clean statements and well-maintained common property support the selling price, while unclear WEG affairs unsettle buyers and banks. If your management company is slow to deliver documents or the community is dissatisfied overall, that need not remain the status quo: how a change works is covered in the guide Changing your property management company.
A good management company makes every sale easier
A well-managed condominium owners' association with complete, up-to-date documents makes your sale noticeably easier. If your community is dissatisfied with its current management: describe your property in two minutes and receive no-obligation quotes from suitable property management companies in your region. 100% free of charge for owners.
Frequently asked questions about selling property
Which documents do I need to sell a condominium?
Alongside the land register extract, floor plans and the energy performance certificate, above all the WEG documents: the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) and the community rules, the minutes of the most recent owners' meetings (three is customary), current annual statements and the annual budget, the amount of the monthly Hausgeld payment, the balance of the maintenance reserve and details of resolved or upcoming measures. Most of these documents come from the property management company, some for a fee.
What is the manager's consent to the sale, and when do I need it?
If the declaration of division provides for it, the property manager must consent to the sale (Section 12 of the German Condominium Act, WEG). Consent is the normal case and may only be refused for good cause. It is publicly certified and is required for the transfer of ownership in the land register. Whether the rule applies to your apartment is set out in the declaration of division.
Do I need an energy performance certificate to sell?
Yes. The mandatory details from the energy performance certificate already belong in the property listing. You present the certificate unprompted at the viewing at the latest, and on sale it is handed over to the buyer.
When is tax due on a private sale?
Gains from a private sale are generally taxable if no more than 10 years lie between purchase and sale (the so-called ten-year speculation period, Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act). No tax is due if you used the property as your own home in the year of the sale and in the two preceding years, or lived in it yourself throughout. Individual questions belong with your tax advisor.
Who pays the estate agent's commission?
For sales of apartments and single-family homes to consumers, the statutory commission split has applied since the end of 2020: the buyer pays no more commission than the seller. Whether you engage an estate agent at all remains your free choice.
Do I get my share of the maintenance reserve paid out?
No. The share of the maintenance reserve is tied to the apartment and passes to the buyer on sale. There is no payout to the seller. A well-funded reserve, however, is a convincing selling point.
Which costs will I face as the seller?
Typical items, depending on your situation: your share of the estate agent's commission, the cost of the energy performance certificate, notary and land register fees for deleting a land charge and, where applicable, an early repayment penalty to the bank if an ongoing loan is paid off early. The real estate transfer tax and the notary and land register fees of the purchase are usually borne by the buyer.
How does a good property management company help with the sale?
It supplies the documents that buyers and banks request, quickly and completely: the declaration of division, minutes, annual statements, the annual budget and the balance of the maintenance reserve. Where the declaration of division provides for it, it grants the manager's consent to the sale. After the sale, it apportions the Hausgeld as of the handover date and switches everything over to the new owner. Complete minutes, clean statements and well-maintained common property also support the selling price.
Related guides
This guide was prepared with great care (as of July 2026) but does not replace legal or tax advice in individual cases. For special situations, such as rented-out properties, communities of heirs or unresolved tax questions, a specialized law firm or your tax advisor can help.