Appraisal checklist
Ten points you should have settled before the bidding hearing. The appraisal is on file in every case – free of charge, at the local court and usually as a PDF.
PDF · A4 · one page · German
The ten points
Every point is a question to the appraisal and to the official announcement. Answer them before you bid.
- Was the interior inspected?
If the report says the interior could not be inspected or that access was refused, the value rests on an exterior view and on assumptions. In our analysis that was the case for around 42 % of the appraisals where the field was unambiguous.
- How old is the valuation date?
Between the valuation date and the hearing there is a median of 13 months, and more than two years in every sixth case. The market value is an anchor, not a price.
- Read section II of the land register
Residence right, usufruct, right of way or utility easement: whatever remains in place under the lowest bid, you take on in addition to your bid (§ 52 ZVG).
- Is the property occupied?
Tenancies pass to you. There is only a special right of termination for the first admissible date (§ 57a ZVG) – you still need valid grounds to terminate.
- Plan the eviction realistically
The award decision is an eviction title against the debtor and against a possessor without a right of their own (§ 93 ZVG) – not against tenants. Budget for cost and duration.
- Is deferred maintenance quantified?
“Allowed for as a lump sum” is not a cost estimate. Roof, heating, wiring, damp: check whether the appraiser saw it or estimated it. There is no warranty (§ 56 sentence 3 ZVG).
- Value thresholds at the first hearing
Below 5/10 of the market value the court refuses the award of its own motion (§ 85a), below 7/10 on a creditor's application (§ 74a). At a repeat hearing both fall away.
- Prepare the security deposit
10 % of the market value as soon as a party to the proceedings demands it (§§ 67, 68). No cash: an advance transfer to the court cashier's office, a bank guarantee or a certified cheque (§ 69).
- Cash bid and interest
Due before the distribution hearing, usually 4–8 weeks after the award, and carrying 4 % interest from the award onwards (§ 49 ZVG). Settle your financing commitment before the hearing.
- Incidental costs
Real-estate transfer tax at the state rate on the highest bid, the award fee and the land-register transfer. In return, there is no agent and no notarised purchase contract.
On the day of the hearing
- Bring your ID; if you bid on someone else's behalf you need a publicly certified bidding power of attorney.
- Keep the proof of your security deposit to hand – without it you are not allowed to bid.
- At the start, the Rechtspfleger states which rights remain in place. That is the moment to ask if anything is unclear.
- Fix your maximum bid in writing beforehand – and stick to it. The award is binding.
Further reading
The points in detail – with deadlines, calculations and examples.
- Work through the appraisal, the land register and the occupancy step by step.
- When the court refuses the award – and when these limits fall away.
- Amount, permitted forms and deadlines for the 10 % before the hearing.
- Compulsory auctions from the official portal, free to search.
Notes
General orientation, not legal advice. The official announcement of the competent local court governs.
Data basis for the shares quoted (42 % without an interior inspection, a median of 13 months between the valuation date and the hearing): our own analysis, as of 18 August 2026, covering the cases in which the field could be determined unambiguously.