Munich - House Inspections

If you require a loan to buy a house, the bank or finance company will most likely insist that you use their 'Sachverständiger' or 'Gutachter' (evaluator) to inspect the property before you buy it. You are also able to review previous 'Eigentümerversammlungen' (residents' meeting minutes) to see what issues the building and its owners have had over the past few years.

If you are the owner or prospective tenant of a rental property, you (or the real estate agent) inspect the property for damage, wear and tear at the beginning and end of a tenancy. Munich landlords are notorious for passing all sorts of maintenance costs on to the tenants, so make sure that every little crack, stain or spot is noted on the form at the beginning of the tenancy and signed by both parties, so that you as the renter are not charged for repairs to damage that wasn't caused by you at the end of the tenancy.