The essentials at a glance
- Since the 2020 WEG reform, the condominium owners' association (WEG) has had legal capacity of its own, and every owners' meeting has a quorum regardless of how many owners attend.
- For most resolutions, a simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient. Abstentions do not count.
- Wallboxes, accessibility, burglary protection, fiber optics and, since October 2024, balcony solar systems as well: you can demand such measures as an individual owner.
- Owners' meetings can be held in hybrid form or purely virtually. Purely virtual meetings require a majority of at least three quarters of the votes cast.
- You can challenge flawed resolutions within one month, and your association is generally entitled to a certified property manager.
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The 2020 WEG reform: more power to act for owners
Since December 1, 2020, a fundamentally modernized Condominium Act has been in force (the reform is known as the 2020 condominium law reform, WEMoG). Its thrust is decidedly owner-friendly: associations are meant to decide faster and act more easily. The key changes at a glance:
- The association itself has legal capacity (Section 9a WEG). The community of condominium owners (GdWE) can hold rights and obligations in its own name, for example enter into contracts.
- The property manager represents the association externally (Section 9b WEG). This creates clear responsibilities in day-to-day matters.
- The property manager can be removed at any time. No reason is required, and the management contract ends no later than six months after the removal (Section 26(3) of the German Condominium Act, WEG).
- Every owners' meeting has a quorum. Regardless of how many owners attend. No one can block decisions simply by staying away.
- The notice period for convening a meeting is at least three weeks. This gives everyone enough time to prepare for the agenda.
- Resolutions can also be passed without a meeting. Circular resolutions are possible in text form; an email is enough. However, they require the consent of all owners, not just a majority.
The right to remove the manager at any time in particular gives your association noticeably more freedom: anyone who is permanently dissatisfied with their property management company can act. Our guide Switching your property management company shows how this works step by step.
Resolutions and majorities: how your owners' association decides
Whether it is electing a manager, maintenance work or the house rules: the association decides by resolution, usually at the owners' meeting. The standard is pleasantly straightforward: a simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient, and abstentions do not count.
An example: if seven owners vote yes, five vote no and four abstain, the resolution is passed. Only the yes votes and the no votes are counted.
How the votes are counted follows the statutory default of the one-owner-one-vote principle: each owner has one vote, regardless of the number of units they own or the size of their co-ownership shares. Your community rules can provide for a different voting principle, for example based on co-ownership shares or on units.
Good to know
The declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) and the community rules (Gemeinschaftsordnung) are your association's foundational documents. They govern special rights, voting rights and cost allocation keys. Whenever a question comes up, it always pays to check these documents first.
You will find more fundamentals on the rights and obligations of condominium owners in our guide for owners.
Structural alterations: wallboxes, accessibility and more
Few areas illustrate the new spirit of German condominium law as clearly as structural alterations. Since the reform, they can be approved by a simple majority (Section 20 WEG). This makes modernization projects considerably easier to get off the ground.
Measures you can demand as an individual owner
Your rights are even stronger when it comes to privileged measures (Section 20(2) WEG). Here, every owner can demand a reasonable structural alteration, which means the association cannot refuse it outright:
- Charging electric vehicles: for example a wallbox at your parking space.
- Accessibility: such as ramps or an elevator.
- Burglary protection: measures that make your home more secure.
- High-speed internet: in particular a fiber optic connection.
- Plug-in solar devices: since October 2024, balcony solar systems have also been among the privileged measures.
Important in practice: what you can demand is the "whether". The "how", meaning the specific implementation, is decided by the association. As a rule, whoever demands the measure bears the costs. In return, only those owners are entitled to use its benefits.
Who pays for jointly approved measures?
If the owners' meeting approves a structural measure, Section 21 WEG governs the cost allocation along fair lines:
- All owners pay if the resolution was passed with more than two thirds of the votes cast and more than half of all co-ownership shares (the so-called double qualified majority). Exception: the costs are disproportionate.
- All owners also pay if the measure pays for itself within a reasonable period, meaning it is economically self-supporting.
- Otherwise, only the owners who voted in favor pay. In return, only they enjoy the benefits of the measure.
The underlying idea is encouraging: whatever wins broad support or pays off is carried jointly. Everything else is paid for only by those who benefit from it.
The owners' meeting goes digital: hybrid and virtual
Owners' meetings have long since moved beyond the back room of the local restaurant. The meeting can resolve that owners may participate online in addition to attending in person (hybrid meeting). This lowers the barrier for everyone who lives further away or has a demanding work schedule.
Since October 2024, even more is possible: with a majority of at least three quarters of the votes cast, the association can resolve to hold meetings purely virtually. Such a resolution is valid for a maximum of three years, after which the association decides anew.
An additional rule ensures a smooth transition: until the end of 2028, an in-person meeting must generally also be held once a year, unless the owners unanimously waive it.
For associations whose owners live far apart, this is a real relief. A digitally organized property management company can support these formats smoothly from a technical standpoint, from the invitation through to the vote.
Challenging a resolution: deadlines and process
Not every resolution is free of errors. If you consider a resolution flawed, you can have it reviewed by a court (Section 45 WEG). Two clear deadlines apply:
- One month: the action to challenge the resolution must be filed within one month of the resolution being passed.
- Two months: the reasoning for the action must be submitted within two months of the resolution being passed.
The action is directed against the community of condominium owners (GdWE). The competent court is the local court (Amtsgericht) for the district in which the property is located.
Important in practice: a challenged resolution initially remains valid and enforceable until the court declares it invalid. Only in cases of particularly serious defects is a resolution void from the outset. For your association, this is good news: approved projects do not stall at every objection, and the short deadlines quickly create legal certainty for everyone.
Tip
After every owners' meeting, note down the date the resolutions were passed. If you are considering a challenge, every day of the one-month deadline counts.
The certified property manager: your right to qualified management
Managing a residential complex requires expertise. German lawmakers have created a formal qualification for this: the certified property manager under Section 26a WEG. Certification requires passing an examination before the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK).
The best part: appointing a certified property manager is generally part of proper administration (Section 19(2) no. 6 WEG). You and your co-owners are therefore entitled to have a certified property manager appointed.
An exception applies only to small associations: with fewer than nine units, if one of the owners manages the property personally and fewer than one third of the owners demand certification.
When selecting a new property management company, certification is thus a tangible quality criterion that you are entirely justified in asking about.
What your property manager must deliver
Good property management is not a matter of taste; the core duties are outlined by law. They include in particular:
- Implementing resolutions: whatever the owners' meeting decides, the manager carries out.
- Preparing the annual budget and the annual service charge statement: the financial foundation of every association.
- Convening the owners' meeting: with a notice period of at least three weeks.
- Maintaining the resolution record (Section 24(7) WEG): this keeps a permanent, traceable account of what your association has decided.
- Handling day-to-day business: the manager may take measures of minor significance independently (Section 27 WEG), so that not every small matter requires a meeting.
And if you want to verify something? As an owner, you are entitled to inspect the administrative records (Section 18(4) WEG). Transparency is not a favor, it is your right.
Whether a property management company fulfills these duties reliably and in a modern way shows in everyday life: in how easy it is to reach, in clean statements and in well-prepared meetings. If you see room for improvement here, comparing the market is worthwhile.
Find the right property management company now
Briefly describe your property. You will receive free, no-obligation quotes from property management companies in your region. That way you can compare at your leisure before your association decides.
Frequently asked questions about condominium law
What majority do we need for an ordinary resolution?
A simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient, and abstentions do not count. The statutory default is the one-owner-one-vote principle, meaning each owner has one vote. The community rules (Gemeinschaftsordnung) can deviate from this, for example with voting rights based on co-ownership shares or on units.
Am I entitled to a wallbox or a balcony solar system?
Yes. Every owner can demand reasonable structural alterations that serve the charging of electric vehicles. Since October 2024, the same applies to plug-in solar devices, meaning balcony solar systems. The owners' association decides on the specific implementation. As a rule, you bear the costs yourself, and in return you are entitled to use the benefits of the measure.
Who pays for a structural alteration that has been approved?
If the owners' meeting approves the measure with more than two thirds of the votes cast and more than half of all co-ownership shares, all owners generally bear the costs, unless the costs are disproportionate. All owners also pay if the measure pays for itself within a reasonable period. Otherwise, only the owners who voted in favor pay, and only they enjoy the benefits.
How quickly do I have to challenge a resolution?
The action to challenge a resolution must be filed within one month of the resolution being passed, and two months are allowed for the reasoning. The competent court is the local court (Amtsgericht) for the district in which the property is located. Important: the challenged resolution initially remains valid and enforceable until the court declares it invalid.
Can we hold our owners' meeting online?
Yes. The meeting can approve hybrid formats in which owners participate online in addition to attending in person. Since October 2024, the association can also allow purely virtual meetings with a majority of at least three quarters of the votes cast; such a resolution is valid for a maximum of three years. Until the end of 2028, an additional in-person meeting must generally take place once a year unless the owners unanimously waive it.
What is a certified property manager?
A property manager who has passed an examination before the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Section 26a of the German Condominium Act, WEG). Owners are generally entitled to have a certified property manager appointed. The only exception applies to small associations with fewer than nine units, if one of the owners manages the property personally and fewer than one third of the owners demand certification.
What is the resolution record?
The property manager must document the association's resolutions in the resolution record (Beschluss-Sammlung, Section 24(7) WEG). This keeps what was decided traceable even years later. In addition, as an owner you are entitled to inspect the administrative records (Section 18(4) WEG).
Where do I find the rules of our owners' association?
In the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) and the community rules (Gemeinschaftsordnung). Among other things, they govern special rights, voting rights and cost allocation keys. When in doubt, check these documents first, because the community rules can deviate from the statutory default, for example on the voting principle.
Related guides
This overview was prepared with great care (last updated: July 2026) but does not replace legal advice in individual cases. For special situations, such as deviating provisions in your community rules, a law firm specializing in German condominium law can help.