Selling an inherited property in Germany
7 min read · Updated 2026-06-01
Certificate of inheritance, co-heirs, land-register correction and tax: what to consider when selling inherited property.
Establish ownership and update the register
Before selling, ownership must be clear. Depending on the case you need a certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) or a notarial will with the opening record, and you have the land register corrected — this is initially free of charge after inheritance.
If there are several heirs they form a community of heirs (Erbengemeinschaft). A sale is only possible jointly; appointing one authorised contact makes the process much smoother.
Tax: inheritance and the holding period
Inheritance tax has allowances depending on the degree of kinship. For speculation tax, heirs inherit the deceased's holding period: if the property was bought more than ten years ago, a later sale is generally tax-free.
Because valuation, deadlines and co-heirs all meet here, an early, neutral market assessment pays off. Our value report is a good, non-binding starting point.
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