ROUTE

Owners meeting in Germany: resolutions, statement, challenge

How the owners meeting works, what is voted on with the annual statement, and why a challenge has one month and two months.

✓ Checked: 11/08/2026

The owners meeting is the only body that decides what happens to the building: how much is paid monthly, what gets renovated, who manages it and whether a charging point may be installed. Its resolutions bind every owner, including those who stayed away, and they remain in force even where they breach the law — until a court sets them aside. That is why this route is built around deadlines: one month for the claim and two months for the reasons, counted from the day of the vote and not from the day the minutes land in the letterbox.

1

STEP

Take the invitation and agenda apart

The owners meeting is the only place where decisions about the building are made. Errors in the invitation and agenda decide the fate of resolutions long before any vote.
2

STEP

Vote and check the minutes

Votes cast are what count, not ownership shares and not the number of people present. The minutes and the register of resolutions are what later prove what was actually decided.
3

STEP

Check the business plan and the annual statement

Owners do not vote on the statement as a whole but on additional payments and the adjustment of advances. That distinction determines what can be challenged at all.
4

STEP

Challenge the resolution within the deadline

A resolution nobody challenges stands — even where it breaches the law. The only exception is void resolutions, and that boundary has to be understood immediately.
5

STEP

Get resolutions implemented and know the privileged changes

After the meeting the work of the manager begins. Certain structural changes, by contrast, can be demanded even without the goodwill of the neighbours.

COSTS AND DEADLINES

Deadlines you cannot miss

Notice period at least three weeks, except in cases of particular urgencyTake the invitation and agenda apartguideline
Annulment claim within one month of the resolutionChallenge the resolution within the deadlinehard deadline
Statement of reasons within two months of the resolutionChallenge the resolution within the deadlinehard deadline

Amounts follow official fees as of each step’s verification date. Your city may charge a different rate — check the step itself.

› More about this route

The route works through a full year of community life: how to read the invitation and why an unannounced item cannot produce a solid resolution, how votes are counted and why the exact wording in the minutes matters, how the business plan differs from the annual statement and what is really voted on at year end, how a challenge works and where the line runs between voidness and voidability, and what can be demanded afterwards — implementation of resolutions and privileged structural changes. We do not assess your particular resolution and promise no outcome in court: the route shows how the procedure is built and where silence costs money.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

All possible documents for this route

WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME

Waiting for the minutes before deciding whether to challenge. The month runs from the resolution, while minutes often arrive two or three weeks later.
Suing the neighbours instead of the community of owners. The statute names the defendant expressly, and getting it wrong costs the deadline.
Challenging the annual statement. What is resolved is additional payments and adjusted advances — that resolution is the point of attack.
Assuming an unlawful resolution is automatically ineffective. It stands until a court declares it invalid — except in cases of genuine voidness.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE

Who is this route for?▾

For owners of a flat in a community of owners, whether they live in it or let it out. It is not addressed to tenants: tenants have no vote at the meeting and no right to challenge resolutions, since their position rests on the tenancy agreement.

Does the Hausgeld still have to be paid while a resolution is challenged?▾

Yes. The resolution stands until a court declares it invalid, so advances and additional payments remain due during the dispute. Refusing to pay creates a separate debt to the community, collected regardless of how your claim ends.

What can be done if the manager does not respond and no meeting is held?▾

The law offers two tools: a demand to convene from more than a quarter of the owners, and convening through the chair of the advisory council or an authorised owner. Where a necessary resolution is never passed, the claim for a substitute resolution helps.

Is going to court necessary to change anything?▾

No, and most matters run on votes: the allocation of individual cost types, rules of use, and the appointment of the manager all change by majority resolution. Court remains the last resort, with strict deadlines.

WHAT USUALLY COMES NEXT

Buying Property in GermanyBuying a flat or house in Germany step by step: how much you really need including ~10–15% purchase costs, how to compare mortgages and vet the property via the land register.Utility Bill CheckEvery second German utility statement contains errors — almost always in the landlord favour. How to check the annual bill and dispute it properly.Renting an ApartmentStep-by-step checklist for renting an apartment in Germany: application documents, lease signing, deposit, handover protocol, utility bill review, and reporting defects.