Guides / Guides for new-build buyers
Guides for new-build buyers
Every guide is based on the wording of the law itself and official sources, with each paragraph cited and linked.
Handover & viewings
New builds & the Abnahme
- New-build warranty: walk-through before the 5 years end (2026)
New-build warranty in Germany: 5 years from Abnahme (§ 634a BGB), why a defect notice does not stop the clock, and what suspends limitation (§§ 203, 204 BGB).
- Checking custom extras at the Abnahme: a buyer's guide (2026)
Custom extras in a German new build: what must be agreed in writing, who is liable if another firm does it, and how to enter them in the Abnahmeprotokoll.
- Preparing the Abnahme of a new-build flat: a buyer's checklist (2026)
How to prepare the Abnahme of your new-build flat in Germany: documents, appointment, surveyor, and what to check before the burden of proof passes to you.
- Abnahmeprotokoll: which reservations new-build buyers must enter (2026)
Which reservations belong in the Abnahmeprotokoll in Germany: known defects under § 640 Abs. 3 BGB and the contractual penalty under § 341 Abs. 3 BGB, and how to word them.
- Received a request to accept your new build: what buyers must do (2026)
Has the developer set a deadline for the Abnahme? When the flat counts as accepted in Germany (§ 640 Abs. 2 BGB) and how to respond correctly and in time.
- Defects after the Abnahme: rights of new-build buyers (2026)
A defect in your new-build flat after the Abnahme? How to report it in Germany, which deadline applies, when you may fix it yourself and what you can hold back.