Answer the questions to see a score.
Hand the building over to a Hausverwaltung the owners will keep
In Germany the law caps the first appointment of a manager at three years and lets the owners dismiss the manager at any time. Choose a manager they will want to keep, and make the handover clean. The German page has the same content.
What the law gives the owners from day one
Whoever named the first manager, these are the rules that apply to the building you hand over. The first two cannot be changed by agreement (§ 26(5)).
- 1A cap on the first appointment. The owners decide on the appointment and the dismissal of the manager (§ 26(1)), and the first appointment after the creation of condominium ownership lasts at most three years (§ 26(2)).
- 2Dismissal at any time. The manager can be dismissed at any time, and the contract ends at the latest six months after the dismissal (§ 26(3)).
- 3A certified manager. Owners can require the appointment of a certified manager (§ 26a), unless there are fewer than nine units, an owner is the manager and fewer than a third of the owners ask for one (§ 19(2) no. 6).
- 4What the manager owes the owners. The manager prepares the Wirtschaftsplan, the Jahresabrechnung and a yearly Vermögensbericht (§ 28), keeps the Beschluss-Sammlung (§ 24(7), (8)) and every owner can inspect the management documents (§ 18(4)).
- 5Austria. For a fixed-term management contract of more than three years, either side can end it after three years without giving reasons, on three months’ notice (WEG 2002 § 21(2)).
The end of the three-year term is the point at which the owners compare managers for the first time. A manager chosen for independence and openness is the one they keep.
What owners check first: independence
When owners compare the manager you chose with one they could choose, the first question is who the manager works for. Put the answer into the tender.
- A written declaration of any ownership, financial or family link between the manager and the developer.
- No work given to companies that the developer or the manager owns, unless it is disclosed and priced like any other bid.
- A contract that matches the term and dismissal rules of § 26 WEG, without a penalty clause that makes ending it expensive.
- Fees that are itemized and can be shown to buyers before they sign.
- Reports to owners from the first month, not only after the first meeting.
- A handover list that the owners can check line by line.
The scorecard below shows an “owners will likely keep this manager” meter. It is driven by independence and by openness about money and records, never by software.
Score the candidates
Rate each candidate the way the owners will. Independence carries the most weight here, because it is the first thing owners check and the reason they replace a manager they did not choose.
Independence
Credentials and compliance
Money handling
Reporting and governance
Service and response
Handover readiness
Price transparency
Proof
Result
Tender template for the developer (Ausschreibung)
One document for every bidder. It states the principles above as conditions, carries the scorecard’s questions and weights independence highest.
Handover checklist (Übergabe an den Verwalter)
The first group lists the points of the WEG a new Verwaltung starts with. The rest covers documents, defects, warranties and a clean financial start. Keep the signed list.
Start of the Verwaltung under the WEG
- Beschluss-Sammlung started, ready for the first resolutions (§ 24(7), (8) WEG)
- Wirtschaftsplan for the first year and the advance payments that cover it (§ 28(1) WEG)
- Bank account of the community opened and the maintenance reserve (Erhaltungsrücklage) set up (§ 19(2) no. 4 WEG)
Documents
- Approved plans, as-built drawings and the permits and completion certificates
- Declaration or deed that sets up the units, with the floor plans and the share of each unit
- Technical file of the building: structure, elevators, heating, electrical systems, fire safety, with manuals
- List of the contractors and suppliers who built the building, with contacts
- Insurance policies for the building and the developer’s works
- Service and maintenance contracts already signed, with their terms
- Energy certificate (Energieausweis) for the building
Common parts, defects and warranties
- Walk-through of every common part with the manager and, if possible, owners’ representatives
- Signed list of open defects, each with a deadline and who answers for it
- Warranty register: what is covered, by whom and until when, with the claim procedure
- Keys, access cards, remotes and codes counted and signed for
- Meter readings for the common supply on the day of handover, with photos
A clean financial start
- Separate bank account opened in the association’s name
- Opening balance, with what the developer has paid and what is still owed by it
- First budget and the advance payments that cover it
- Reserve or repair fund opened, with the rule for how it grows
- Unpaid bills and open orders at handover, each stating who pays
Owners and communication
- List of owners with their units, shares and contact details, as far as the law allows it to be passed on
- Date and agenda of the first owners’ meeting agreed
- Way for owners to report a problem and to see its status explained in writing
- Contact for emergencies at any hour given to every owner
Legal sources
Every legal statement on this page comes from the text of the law itself. The quotes are in the original language.
- WEG § 18(4)
Jeder Wohnungseigentümer kann von der Gemeinschaft der Wohnungseigentümer Einsicht in die Verwaltungsunterlagen verlangen.
- WEG § 19(2) no. 4
die Ansammlung einer angemessenen Erhaltungsrücklage,
- WEG § 19(2) no. 6
die Bestellung eines zertifizierten Verwalters nach § 26a, es sei denn, es bestehen weniger als neun Sondereigentumsrechte, ein Wohnungseigentümer wurde zum Verwalter bestellt und weniger als ein Drittel der Wohnungseigentümer (§ 25 Absatz 2) verlangt die Bestellung eines zertifizierten Verwalters.
- WEG § 24(7)
Es ist eine Beschluss-Sammlung zu führen.
- WEG § 24(8)
Die Beschluss-Sammlung ist von dem Verwalter zu führen.
- WEG § 26(1)
Über die Bestellung und Abberufung des Verwalters beschließen die Wohnungseigentümer.
- WEG § 26(2)
Die Bestellung kann auf höchstens fünf Jahre vorgenommen werden, im Fall der ersten Bestellung nach der Begründung von Wohnungseigentum aber auf höchstens drei Jahre.
- WEG § 26(2)
Die wiederholte Bestellung ist zulässig; sie bedarf eines erneuten Beschlusses der Wohnungseigentümer, der frühestens ein Jahr vor Ablauf der Bestellungszeit gefasst werden kann.
- WEG § 26(3)
Der Verwalter kann jederzeit abberufen werden. Ein Vertrag mit dem Verwalter endet spätestens sechs Monate nach dessen Abberufung.
- WEG § 26(5)
Abweichungen von den Absätzen 1 bis 3 sind nicht zulässig.
- WEG § 26a(1)
Als zertifizierter Verwalter darf sich bezeichnen, wer vor einer Industrie- und Handelskammer durch eine Prüfung nachgewiesen hat, dass er über die für die Tätigkeit als Verwalter notwendigen rechtlichen, kaufmännischen und technischen Kenntnisse verfügt.
- WEG § 28(1)
Zu diesem Zweck hat der Verwalter jeweils für ein Kalenderjahr einen Wirtschaftsplan aufzustellen
- WEG § 28(2)
Zu diesem Zweck hat der Verwalter eine Abrechnung über den Wirtschaftsplan (Jahresabrechnung) aufzustellen, die darüber hinaus die Einnahmen und Ausgaben enthält.
- WEG § 28(4)
Der Verwalter hat nach Ablauf eines Kalenderjahres einen Vermögensbericht zu erstellen, der den Stand der in Absatz 1 Satz 1 bezeichneten Rücklagen und eine Aufstellung des wesentlichen Gemeinschaftsvermögens enthält. Der Vermögensbericht ist jedem Wohnungseigentümer zur Verfügung zu stellen.
- WEG 2002 (Austria) § 21(2)
Wurde der Verwalter auf bestimmte, mehr als dreijährige Zeit bestellt, so können sowohl die Eigentümergemeinschaft als auch der Verwalter nach Ablauf von drei Jahren den Verwaltungsvertrag ohne Angabe von Gründen unter Einhaltung einer Frist von drei Monaten zum Ende jeder Abrechnungsperiode (§ 34 Abs. 2) kündigen.
Developer handover in Germany: questions
How long can the first manager be appointed for?
At most three years for the first appointment after the creation of condominium ownership (§ 26(2) WEG). A repeat appointment needs a new resolution of the owners, passed at the earliest one year before the term ends.
Can the owners dismiss the manager the developer chose?
Yes, at any time. The contract with the manager then ends at the latest six months after the dismissal (§ 26(3) WEG), and this cannot be changed by agreement (§ 26(5)).
Does the tender need a certified manager?
The owners can require one (§ 19(2) no. 6 WEG), and a manager is certified once it has passed an examination before a Chamber of Industry and Commerce (§ 26a(1)). The tender asks bidders to state whether they are certified.
Who keeps the resolutions and the accounts after handover?
The manager keeps the Beschluss-Sammlung (§ 24(8)) and prepares the Wirtschaftsplan, the Jahresabrechnung and the Vermögensbericht (§ 28).
Does the tender favor a particular software?
No. The digital questions describe what owners can see, never a product, and they start switched off in the scorecard.
Keep reading
Give the building you hand over a portal the owners will keep
Owners judge a manager by what they can see from the first month. Start free on one building and see the owner side yourself, or book a demo.