Corpus Makler · Guide · November 2026
For every property
- Land register extract (Grundbuchauszug): from the land registry at the competent local court. As the owner you have a right of inspection.
- Cadastral map (Flurkarte): from the cadastral office of the district or independent city, in NRW partly also online
- Energy certificate: must be shown to prospective buyers at the latest at the viewing and handed over to the buyer (§ 80 GEG). It is valid for ten years and is issued by authorised experts.
- Floor plans, sections and elevations: from the building documents or as a copy from the building file at the building authority
- Living space calculation: from the building documents or newly prepared
- Building encumbrance information (Baulastenauskunft): In NRW there is a register of building encumbrances at the lower building supervisory authority. Building encumbrances are not entered in the land register but can affect the value.
- Proof of modernisations: invoices, warranty documents
- if let: tenancy agreements, proof of deposits, latest operating cost statement
Additionally for flats
- declaration of division with division plan and community regulations
- minutes of the owners' meetings of recent years and the collection of resolutions
- current budget and latest annual statement
- asset report showing the balance of the maintenance reserve (§ 28 Abs. 4 WEG)
- amount of the service charge (Hausgeld) and information on special levies already decided
- where applicable, the administrator's consent if the declaration of division requires it for a sale
You will usually receive these documents from your WEG administration.
Additionally for houses and plots
- building permit and, where applicable, acceptance certificates
- certificate of development contributions from the city, if outstanding contributions are possible
- for hereditary building rights: hereditary building right contract and details of the ground rent
- records for the heating system and the chimney sweep
In special situations
- Inheritance: certificate of inheritance or notarial will with the record of its opening – this is used to correct the land register in favour of the heirs
- Loans: details of land charges and contact with the bank for the deletion approval
- Legal guardianship or power of attorney: lasting power of attorney or guardian's ID; with legal guardianship, approval from the guardianship court is usually required
Tip: start early
Some documents arrive quickly, others – such as copies from the building file or documents from the WEG administration – take weeks. So start gathering them as soon as you have decided to sell. You can print out our checklist of documents for the sale and tick it off.
Our support
Corpus Makler can request many documents for you with your power of attorney, for example from the land registry, the building authority or the WEG administration. We check the documents for completeness and tell you what is still missing.
Further reading
Our guide articles give a general overview (as of November 2026) and do not replace legal or tax advice in individual cases. The German version is binding.
