Frequently asked questions.

A Kurzgutachten (Quick Check) takes 1–2 hours. A full Baugutachten takes 2–4 hours depending on property size. You'll receive the written report within 48 hours.

Absolutely, many clients do. You're welcome to walk through the property with Alice and ask questions in real time. Your real estate agent can join too.

We cover all of Berlin and Brandenburg. Travel within Berlin is included in all prices. Potsdam, Bernau, and surrounding areas are no problem, just let us know the address when booking.

Yes. Our Bauabnahme (Handover Inspection) is specifically designed for new construction handover. We check that everything meets specifications and German building codes before you accept delivery.

Yes, for apartments, we review the WEG financials: Hausgeldabrechnung, maintenance reserves, planned Sonderumlagen (special levies), and the building's overall financial health. Hidden costs in the WEG can be just as expensive as hidden defects.

Scaffolding usually means major works are underway or about to start, often the façade, roof, or balconies, and that frequently means a Sonderumlage (special levy) the owners have to pay. Before you buy, find out three things: what the work is, what it will cost, and whether it is funded from the building's reserve (Erhaltungsrücklage) or from a Sonderumlage you would inherit. The answers are in the latest WEG minutes (Protokoll) and the Beschlusssammlung. Scaffolding can also hide the true condition of the façade during an inspection, so we note what we cannot see and tell you what to check. It is not always bad news, a well-maintained building is a good sign, but the cost question is the one that matters.

No. You're welcome to come and walk through with Alice, but you don't have to. Many of our clients are still abroad or can't take time off. We arrange access through the agent or seller, carry out the full inspection, and send you the English report within 48 hours, followed by a call or video walk-through so you can ask questions.

Yes, with a FLIR thermal camera, available as an add-on (+€150). It shows what the eye can't: hidden moisture behind walls, wet or missing insulation, thermal bridges, and heat loss. We recommend it whenever there's any sign of damp, mould, cold spots, or musty smells, and on older Altbau where insulation is often poor. If it finds nothing, that's peace of mind. If it finds moisture, that's leverage to negotiate.

Yes, and it's one of the most common problems we find in Berlin flats, especially in Altbau and ground-floor or basement-level apartments. We map moisture with meters, can add a thermal scan to find hidden damp behind walls, and tell you the likely cause and the cost to put it right.

A FLIR thermal camera, moisture meters, an endoscope for cavities, Polycam LiDAR for 3D scans, and electrical testers, alongside a trained eye. The kit lets us find problems a visual-only check would miss, and document them with photos and readings in your report.

We carry out a thorough non-destructive inspection, so we don't open up walls, lift floors, or dismantle anything. We assess everything visible and accessible, and use thermal and moisture tools to see behind surfaces where we can. If something needs opening up to be sure, we tell you and flag it in the report so you can decide your next step.

Yes. Our Document Pre-Check (from €175) is a desktop review of the Exposé and paperwork, the WEG minutes, Hausgeld statements, and Teilungserklärung, before you spend a Saturday on a second viewing. We tell you whether the flat is worth going back for, or where the hidden costs are buried.

The Abnahme is your last moment of leverage, because once you sign the Abnahmeprotokoll and accept the property, the burden of proof for defects shifts to you. Check the work against the Baubeschreibung (the agreed specification), and look for unfinished work (Restleistungen), defects (Mängel), poor finishes, doors and windows that don't seal or function, damp, and heating or electrics that don't work. Record every issue in the protocol. We attend the Abnahme with you and make sure nothing gets waved through.

All reports are in English by default. We can provide bilingual versions at no extra charge for banks, courts, or official purposes. The Verkehrswertgutachten is always bilingual.

That's one of the main reasons clients book us. Every defect comes with a cost estimate and severity rating. Clients regularly negotiate €10,000–€30,000 off using our report.

No. Mortgage and lending valuations (Beleihungswert) are a separate, regulated field handled by bank-panel valuers. What we provide is an independent market-value assessment (Verkehrswert), prepared using the ImmoWertV methodology, for your own purposes: a purchase or sale decision, a divorce settlement, or a co-ownership split.

Each defect is rated red (critical, immediate action), amber (significant, plan to address), or green (minor/cosmetic). This lets you see severity at a glance and prioritize negotiations.

Payment is due upon booking confirmation. You can pay online via Mollie (card, PayPal, SEPA) or by bank transfer (Überweisung). Corporate clients can arrange invoicing with payment terms.

Free cancellation or rescheduling up to 48 hours before. Within 48 hours, a 50% fee applies. No-shows are charged in full.

If you're buying a property as an investment and plan to rent it out, the cost of a Bausachverständiger can typically be deducted as Werbungskosten (income-related expenses) on your German tax return. This applies to inspection fees, Gutachten costs, and even travel expenses related to the purchase. It doesn't apply to properties you'll live in yourself. Consult your Steuerberater for your specific situation.

Yes, volume discounts are available for partners referring 5+ inspections per quarter. Contact us for a custom partnership agreement.

The Kurzgutachten is a quick on-site assessment with a 1-page Dashboard Report, great for a fast go/no-go decision. The Baugutachten is a full 12-point inspection with a comprehensive PDF report, photo documentation, repair cost estimates, and document review.

It's not legally required, but strongly recommended. Unlike the UK, Germany has no mandatory survey. Most German buyers rely on the seller's disclosure, which often underplays issues. An independent inspection protects your investment.

A Notar is a public notary who handles property transactions in Germany. They draft the purchase contract, verify identities, and register the transfer. Both buyer and seller must use the same Notar. Our reports can be shared with your Notar.

Yes. If your flat has defects, such as damp, mould, a broken heating system, or persistent noise, German law lets you reduce the rent proportionally (Mietminderung) until they're fixed. The key is independent evidence. We produce a dated, photo-documented damage report, often with moisture readings and a thermal scan, that proves the defect and its severity, which is exactly what a Mietminderung or a dispute with your landlord relies on.

For a rent dispute, it's usually worth it. A Mieterverein, such as the Berliner Mieterverein, gives you legal advice and representation on tenancy law for a modest annual membership, far cheaper than a lawyer. They handle the legal side; we provide the independent technical evidence, the damage report, that your Mietminderung or claim depends on.

German wall and ceiling finishes are graded Q1 to Q4 (Qualitätsstufen). Q1 is basic, Q2 is the standard default, Q3 is a higher, smoother finish used where light grazes the wall or near large windows, and Q4 is the flawless top grade for gloss paint or full glazing. Your Baubeschreibung should state which level was agreed. If it specifies Q3 and you are handed Q2, that is a defect you can claim. We check the finish against the spec, plus the dimensional tolerances in DIN 18202 for flatness, plumb and right angles, so a wall that is out of true gets flagged.

The Baubeschreibung is the binding description of what you are buying: materials, finishes, quality levels (like Q3 walls), insulation and energy standard, heating, windows, sanitary fittings, and which DIN standards apply. For consumer new-builds the developer is legally required to provide it. At handover we check the finished build against this document point by point, because anything that falls short of the agreed spec is a defect you can require them to put right.

Document it first: photos, the date, and exactly where it is. Then raise it in writing to the builder or seller (a Mängelrüge) and set a reasonable deadline (Frist) for them to fix it (Nacherfüllung). Do not repair it yourself before you have given them the chance and kept the evidence, or you can lose the claim. On a new build, record every issue in the Abnahmeprotokoll at handover. We give you a dated, photo-documented report that stands up as evidence.

Five years for construction works under German law (§ 634a BGB), running from the Abnahme (handover). Within those five years, defects that existed at handover are the builder's responsibility to fix, but only if you report them in time. That is why the Abnahme matters so much, and why it is worth a professional inspection while the property is still under warranty, to catch defects before the five years run out.

The Teilungserklärung divides the building into Sondereigentum (your private property, broadly the inside of your flat) and Gemeinschaftseigentum (common property: the structure, roof, façade, stairwell, and often the windows and balconies). It decides who pays to maintain and repair what, you for your Sondereigentum, the WEG collectively for the Gemeinschaftseigentum, and it sets out any Sondernutzungsrechte (exclusive-use rights, like a garden or parking space). Read it carefully, because owners are often surprised that something they assume is theirs, such as the windows, is actually the community's responsibility, or the other way round. We review it as part of our document check and flag where the costs really fall.

The biggest gains come from the building envelope and the heating. On the envelope: external wall insulation (a WDVS), roof or top-floor-ceiling insulation, modern windows with a low U-value, and insulating the basement ceiling. On the heating: a heat pump (Wärmepumpe) or another renewable system, plus a hydraulic balance (hydraulischer Abgleich) and, in newer buildings, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Solar thermal or PV on the roof adds to it. The Energieausweis tells you the building's current class and where the weak points are, and we explain what it would realistically cost to improve.

A WDVS (Wärmedämmverbundsystem) is an external insulation system fixed to the façade and rendered over, the most common way to cut heat loss through the walls. It can lower heating bills sharply, but check a few things: that it was installed properly (poor detailing causes damp and thermal bridges), its age and condition, and whether it suits the building, because on an Altbau or a listed (denkmalgeschützt) façade it may not be allowed or appropriate. We check the render for cracks and moisture and use a thermal scan to see whether the insulation is actually doing its job.

Not the day you buy, but it is the direction German law is pushing. Since 2024, every newly installed heating system must run on at least 65% renewable energy, which in practice usually means a heat pump. You don't have to rip out a working boiler immediately, but if the heating is near the end of its life, budget for a renewable replacement and check whether the flat suits one (insulation level, radiators or underfloor, space for the unit). We flag the age and type of the existing system so there are no surprises.

Two things drive it: the EU directive (EPBD), under which all new buildings must be zero-emission from 2030, and Germany's Building Energy Act (GEG), which already requires 65% renewable energy in new heating systems and is steering the country toward fossil-free heating by 2045. For a buyer it matters in three ways: an older, poorly insulated flat costs more to run and may need investment to keep up; any major renovation (more than 10% of the building envelope) must meet current GEG insulation standards; and the rules are still being revised, so the goalposts move. We tell you where a property sits today and what it would realistically take to bring it up to standard, so you can factor that into the price.