Renting in Germany is one set of vocabulary. Buying is another, larger, more expensive one.

The moment you own an apartment in a German multi-unit building, you enter the world of Wohnungseigentum — apartment ownership — governed by a law called the Wohnungseigentumsgesetz, which most people call the WEG. This law determines how costs are split, how decisions are made, what belongs to you personally and what belongs to everyone, and how the building is managed. None of it is explained to you at the point of purchase. You simply start receiving documents.

Here are the twenty terms that will make those documents legible.

The Monthly Costs

Hausgeld — the monthly payment made by every apartment owner to cover the building's shared costs: maintenance, management, cleaning, insurance, and the reserve fund. This is not rent. You own your apartment. But owning a unit in a shared building comes with ongoing collective obligations, and Hausgeld is how they're funded.

Listings in Germany will state Hausgeld alongside the purchase price. Factor it into your calculations alongside mortgage repayments, insurance, and property tax. It typically runs from €150 to €500 per month depending on building size, age, and condition.

Instandhaltungsrücklage — the maintenance reserve fund. A portion of your Hausgeld goes here every month to cover future repairs and replacements: a new roof, a lift overhaul, new windows for the stairwell. A healthy Instandhaltungsrücklage is a sign of a well-managed building. An underfunded one means a Sonderumlage is probably coming.

Sonderumlage — a special levy. When the building needs major work and the reserve fund is insufficient, owners are asked to contribute an additional one-time payment. Sonderumlagen can be several thousand euros with relatively short notice. Before you buy, ask for the reserve fund balance and whether any Sonderumlagen are planned.

Betriebskosten — operating costs that may be passed on to tenants if you rent out your apartment. These are distinct from the owner-specific costs above.

(A note on a common confusion: Wohngeld sounds similar to Hausgeld but is entirely different. Wohngeld is a state housing benefit for low-income residents. The two have nothing to do with each other.)

What You Own — and What You Don't

Sondereigentum — your individual private property: the interior of your apartment and any parking space or storage unit specifically assigned to you in the Teilungserklärung.

Gemeinschaftseigentum — common property shared by all owners: the roof, façade, stairwell, basement, lift, heating system, and the land the building stands on. Decisions about Gemeinschaftseigentum are made collectively.

Teilungserklärung — the declaration of division. The founding document of the building's ownership structure, lodged in the Grundbuch, that defines which parts are Sondereigentum and which are Gemeinschaftseigentum, and assigns each unit a percentage share of the building (Miteigentumsanteil). This percentage determines how costs are split.

Sondernutzungsrecht — exclusive use rights. Sometimes a garden area, terrace, or parking space is technically Gemeinschaftseigentum but one owner has the exclusive right to use it. This right is usually recorded in the Teilungserklärung and transfers with the apartment.

The Legal Framework

WEG — Wohnungseigentumsgesetz. The law that governs all of the above. Significantly reformed in 2020, the WEG now gives individual owners somewhat more flexibility to make improvements to their own apartments without requiring a full owner vote.

Eigentümerversammlung — the annual owners' meeting. Every apartment owner in the building is invited. Decisions about the building — approving the annual budget, authorising repairs, electing the management advisory board, raising the Hausgeld — are made here by vote. Your share of the votes corresponds to your Miteigentumsanteil. Attend, or send a proxy. Decisions made in your absence still bind you.

Hausverwaltung — the property management company. Appointed by the owners to handle the day-to-day running of the building: collecting Hausgeld, commissioning maintenance, keeping accounts, organising the Eigentümerversammlung. Their contract is voted on by owners.

Verwaltungsbeirat — the management advisory board, elected from among the owners to oversee the Hausverwaltung. Not mandatory but common in larger buildings.

Wirtschaftsplan — the annual budget for the building, prepared by the Hausverwaltung and approved at the Eigentümerversammlung. Determines the Hausgeld for the coming year.

Jahresabrechnung — the annual financial statement. Shows what was actually spent versus what was budgeted, and reconciles each owner's payments.

Regolamento condominiale — building rules. Every building has them. They typically cover noise hours, use of common areas, pet policies, and what modifications you can make to your apartment's exterior.

Buying and Selling

Grundbuch — the German land register. The authoritative record of property ownership. Your name appears here once the purchase is complete. Check the Grundbuch entry for any property before you buy: it lists the owner, the Grundschuld (mortgage lien), and any other registered rights or encumbrances.

Auflassungsvormerkung — a priority notice registered in the Grundbuch after you sign the notarial purchase agreement but before the full transfer of ownership is registered. It protects you from the seller selling the same apartment to someone else during the registration process. Your notary does this automatically; it's reassuring to know it exists.

Grunderwerbsteuer — property transfer tax. Paid by the buyer at the point of purchase. Rates vary by federal state (Bundesland): from 3.5% in Bavaria to 6.5% in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, and Schleswig-Holstein. On a €400,000 apartment in Berlin (6%), that's €24,000. Budget for it.

Notarkosten — notary fees. Mandatory for property purchases in Germany; the notary authenticates the transaction, files the Auflassungsvormerkung, and registers the transfer in the Grundbuch. Fees are set by law: approximately 1.5% of the purchase price for a straightforward purchase.

Grundschuld — the mortgage lien registered against the property in the Grundbuch when you take out a mortgage. It remains in the register even after you pay off the loan; your bank can request its deletion, or you can leave it in place at lower cost if you might refinance in future.

The First Letter You'll Get

Within weeks of your purchase completing, you'll receive something from the Hausverwaltung: your Hausgeld mandate, details of the next Eigentümerversammlung, and probably the last Jahresabrechnung for context.

Expat property ownership requires a different vocabulary from renting — one that's less about day-to-day transactions and more about collective decision-making and long-term costs. The building you own a piece of is its own small institution, with its own budget, its own rules, and its own annual meeting where the decisions that affect your home get made.

Show up for those meetings. Understand the documents. And make sure your Instandhaltungsrücklage is healthy before you buy.

Owning property abroad means living inside a legal system in a new language. Vokabulo lets you build the vocabulary for your actual life — from the Eigentümerversammlung to the Jahresabrechnung. Available on iPhone and iPad.