GLOSSARY.
GERMAN REAL ESTATE TERMS, EXPLAINED IN ENGLISH.
Buying, selling or letting property in Germany comes with its own vocabulary. Many terms have no exact English equivalent. This glossary explains the most important ones in plain English, based on the German glossary of AENGEVELT Research.
A TO Z.
- Asset Deal: buying the property itself.
- Bebauungsplan: the binding zoning plan of a municipality.
- Big Seven: Germany's seven largest office and investment markets.
- Bodenrichtwert: the standard land value per square metre.
- Ertragswertverfahren: the income approach for let property.
- gif lettable area: the German standard for measuring office space.
- Grundbuch: the German land register.
- Gutachterausschuss: the independent local valuation committee.
- ImmoWertV: the German valuation ordinance.
- Liegenschaftszins: the property yield rate used in valuation.
- Share Deal: buying the company that owns the property.
- Teilungserklärung: the declaration that divides a building into units.
- Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung: the tax clearance certificate.
- Verkehrswert: the legal market value.
- Zinshaus: an apartment building let as an investment.
Looking to buy or sell in Germany? Talk to our investment team.
German version: Glossar.
As of November 2026, AENGEVELT Research.