Sell Your Apartment in Berlin

The sales process begins with a valuation of your apartment. We prepare the sales documentation, create marketing materials and promote your property through our website, property portals, social media channels and buyer network. We coordinate viewings, conduct negotiations and verify buyers’ financing. Following notarisation, the purchase price is paid and ownership is transferred to the buyer.

The sale of an apartment in Berlin typically takes between three and seven months until notarisation. Following notarisation, the purchase price is usually paid within four to six weeks. Statutory deadlines, such as pre-emption rights, may also affect the timeline. Well-prepared documentation supports buyers and lenders during their review process and helps ensure an efficient transaction.

The seller bears the costs of cancelling existing land charges and obtaining sales documentation, such as the energy performance certificate, land register extract, declaration of division and minutes of owners’ meetings. The buyer is responsible for notary fees and real estate transfer tax. At GUTHMANN®, the seller’s brokerage commission is only payable upon the successful completion of the transaction.

Required documents include the land register extract, declaration of division, approved plans, floor area calculation, a valid energy performance certificate, the minutes of recent owners’ meetings and the current budget plan. Additional documentation is required if the apartment is tenanted.

Before marketing begins, we review all documents for completeness and obtain any missing records from the property management company or the relevant authorities.

Capital gains tax may apply if fewer than ten years have passed between the purchase and sale of a rented apartment or an investment property. If you have occupied the apartment yourself, the sale is generally tax-free provided you have used it as your primary residence in the year of sale and the two preceding calendar years. The specific tax treatment should always be reviewed with a qualified tax adviser.

Selling without an estate agent means taking responsibility for the valuation, marketing, buyer qualification and transaction coordination yourself. Mistakes in pricing or documentation often cost more than the commission itself. Since 2020, the commission-sharing principle has applied to the sale of owner-occupied apartments to private buyers in Germany. At GUTHMANN®, the seller’s commission is only payable upon the successful completion of the transaction.

A tenanted apartment is sold together with the existing tenancy. Sale does not break a lease (Section 566 BGB): the buyer takes over the ongoing tenancy agreement, and termination solely because of the change of owner is not possible. Tenanted condominiums often achieve a different price than vacant ones, as the buyer pool shifts towards investors. The tenancy agreement, rent level and service charge statements are decisive for the purchase.

The partition deed splits a building into individual condominium units and assigns each its co-ownership share; it is the prerequisite for selling a single apartment. The "Abgeschlossenheitsbescheinigung" confirms that the apartment is structurally self-contained and issued by the building authority.