The land register is of particular importance in Germany. This is an official inventory in which past and current changes as well as transactions concerning properties are recorded. This not only makes it possible to trace who was the owner of a plot of land at any given time in the past, but also who currently owns it.
Official property registers already existed in antiquity; precursors of the German land register have existed since the Middle Ages. The land register has a rigid structure and contains, among other things, information on:
Real estate is also recorded according to regulations. In technical jargon this part is called the real property register. It includes:
The other three departments are dedicated to different subject areas of property:
Notaries are responsible for making changes to the land register, which is why this profession has a fixed role in the purchase of real estate and land. In Germany, notary fees are calculated relative to the purchase price, so the higher the purchase price, the higher the notary fees.
There is no actual deletion from the land register, and no entry ever completely disappears. The reason for this is simple: The purpose of the land register is to record all past transactions, which is only possible without gaps if completed transactions can never be removed. Instead, "deletions" are conspicuously marked, usually by being highlighted in red or underlined in red.
Inspection of the land register is available to certain professions, for example, notaries, public authorities, and surveyors, provided they have been publicly appointed. The public sector, in particular the judiciary, also has access. Property owners or comparable holders of rights also have the opportunity to look at the land register.
Further information requires concrete justification. Under German law, a simple interest in purchase is not sufficient to inspect the land register. Anyone who has a justified interest in an extract from the land register can now often even apply for this online, giving reasons.
At home in Grünwald, active in Bavaria and surrounding regions, also abroad: especially if you would like to purchase a property or a plot of land in Italy, such as in Sardinia, we can help you as an expert estate agent. The regulations and processes for accessing the land register vary in other countries from the German system explained above. We at 9045 REAL ESTATE can provide competent support.