Purpose
The skill handles the licensable trades of Title II of the GewO: it assigns the activity to the correct licensing provision, examines the grounds for refusal including the statutory presumptions of regularity, checks the accompanying obligations — proficiency, insurance, continuing education, MaBV — and deals with revocation and withdrawal, which for licensable trades take the place of prohibition under § 35 GewO.
Inputs
- Description of activity and contract templates; intended scope
- Legal form and person of the managing directors or persons authorized to represent
- Prior convictions and ongoing proceedings; extract from the commercial central register
- Financial situation: insolvency proceedings, entry pursuant to § 26 (2) InsO or § 882b ZPO, enforcement measures
- Proofs of proficiency, professional indemnity insurance, proofs of continuing education
- For an existing license: date of grant, conditions, audit reports pursuant to the MaBV
- For administrative proceedings: hearing, withdrawal or revocation notice
Sub-agent architecture
The Researcher obtains the licensing provisions, the associated ordinances (MaBV, BewachV, FinVermV, VersVermV) and the case law on reliability and financial circumstances. The Drafter assigns the activity, examines grounds for refusal and ancillary obligations and drafts the application or legal remedy. The Reviewer checks whether the correct licensing provision was chosen, whether presumptions of regularity are correctly rebutted and whether § 35 (8) GewO is observed for existing licenses.
Procedure
1. Determine the licensing provision
The assignment decides the authority, the requirements and the ancillary obligations.
| Activity | Provision | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|
| Guarding the life or property of other persons | § 34a GewO | competent authority under Land law |
| Brokerage or procurement of contracts concerning land, rights equivalent to land, commercial premises or residential premises (real estate agent) | § 34c (1) sentence 1 no. 1 GewO | competent authority |
| Brokerage or procurement of loan agreements outside § 34i | § 34c (1) sentence 1 no. 2 GewO | competent authority |
| Property developer (in one's own name for one's own or another's account using third-party assets) and building supervisor | § 34c (1) sentence 1 no. 3 GewO | competent authority |
| Residential property manager (management of common property within the meaning of § 1 (2), (3), (5), (6) WEG or of lease agreements for residential space within the meaning of § 549 BGB for third parties) | § 34c (1) sentence 1 no. 4 GewO | competent authority |
| Insurance intermediaries and insurance advisers | Section 34d GewO | Chamber of Industry and Commerce |
| Financial investment intermediaries | Section 34f GewO | competent authority |
| Fee-based financial investment advisers | Section 34h GewO | competent authority |
| Real estate loan intermediaries | Section 34i GewO | competent authority |
The delimitation under Section 6 GewO: lawyers, patent attorneys, notaries, auditors, tax advisers, healthcare professions and other activities named therein are not subject to the GewO. Likewise, the delimitation from activities requiring a licence under the KWG, WpIG, ZAG and KAGB must be examined — Section 34f GewO expressly ties in with the sectoral exemptions of Section 2 (6) sentence 1 no. 8 KWG and Section 3 (1) sentence 1 no. 11 WpIG.
The licence may, under Section 34c (1) sentence 2 and Section 34a (1) sentence 2 GewO, be limited in content and subject to conditions be provided, insofar as this is necessary to protect the general public or the clients — including subsequently.
2. Examine grounds for refusal under Section 34c (2) GewO
The licence must be refused, if one of the three grounds exists — bound decision:
No. 1 — Unreliability. Facts justify the assumption that the applicant or a person entrusted with the management of the business or a branch office does not possess the requisite reliability. Statutory presumption of a rule: The requisite reliability is as a rule notpossessed by anyone who in the last five years before the application has been finally convicted of
- a felony or
- theft, embezzlement, extortion, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, forgery of documents, handling stolen goods, usury or a bankruptcy offence.
The presumption is rebuttable; rebuttal requires specific submissions on the offence, the passage of time, probation and changed circumstances. The prohibitions on use under the BZRG must be observed.
No. 2 — Disordered financial circumstances. Presumption of a rule, if insolvency proceedings have been opened over the assets of the applicant or he is entered in the register kept by the enforcement court under Section 26 (2) InsO or Section 882b ZPO . This presumption is also rebuttable — for example by a confirmed insolvency plan, discharge of residual debt announced or granted, or a viable debt relief concept.
No. 3 — Missing professional indemnity insurance in the case of the residential property manager (subsection 1 sentence 1 no. 4).
For the security trade pursuant to § 34a(1) sentence 3 no. 3 GewO, the absence of the examination of competence before the Chamber of Industry and Commerce constitutes an independent ground for refusal; the other requirements of § 34a — in particular the reliability check of the security personnel deployed and the guard register — must be examined separately.
3. Review ongoing obligations
- Further training (§ 34c(2a) GewO): Traders under subsection (1) sentence 1 no. 4 — residential property managers — are obliged to undertake further training to the extent of 20 hours within three calendar years ; the same applies to directly involved employees. The first further training period begins on 1 January of the calendar yearin which the permit was granted or the activity subject to the further training obligation was commenced. Proof may be provided by an appropriate number of supervisory employees authorised to represent the business.
- MaBV — The Ordinance on the Duties of Real Estate Agents, Loan Brokers, Property Developers, Building Supervisors and Residential Property Managers specifies the professional duties: provision of security and insurance, separate asset management, notification and accounting obligations as well as — in the case of property developers — the requirements for accepting assets and the payment plan. Infringements are subject to fines and at the same time give rise to doubts as to reliability.
- Audit obligation: The trader must have compliance with the MaBV obligations audited at his own expense and submit the audit report; the scope is governed by the Ordinance
[unverifiziert – prüfen]with regard to the current version. - Register obligations: Insurance and financial investment brokers must be entered in the intermediary register; the security industry must be entered in the guard register.
4. Revocation and withdrawal instead of prohibition
This is the practically most important difference from the skill gewerbeuntersagung-35-gewo. Pursuant to § 35(8) sentence 1 GewO subsections 1 to 7a are not applicable, insofar as a granted authorisation can be revoked or withdrawn on grounds of unreliability. For trades subject to licensing, the following must therefore be examined:
| Instrument | Provision | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal | § 48 VwVfG | The permit was unlawful from the outset — for instance because a ground for refusal already existed at the time of grant; observe the protection of legitimate expectations and the one-year time limit under § 48(4) VwVfG |
| Revocation | § 49 VwVfG | Subsequent occurrence of facts which would have justified refusal (§ 49(2) sentence 1 no. 3 VwVfG); one-year time limit under § 49(2) sentence 2 in conjunction with § 48(4) VwVfG |
| Special statutory repeal | e.g. § 34d(5), § 34f in conjunction with the respective subsections | takes precedence, where available [unverifiziert – prüfen] per provision |
The The one-year period of § 48(4) VwVfG — applicable by analogy via § 49(2) sentence 2 VwVfG — begins once the authority has full knowledge of the facts and is the most effective formal point of attack. It must be examined and calculated in every mandate.
In addition to revocation of the permit, there is the prohibition of operation without authorization under § 15(2) GewO to be considered if work is carried out without the required permit (/gewerberecht:gewerbeanzeige-reisegewerbe).
5. Procedure and Legal Protection
- Hearing under § 28 VwVfG; Statement of reasons under § 39 VwVfG, in particular regarding the exercise of discretion in revocation and withdrawal.
- Action for a mandatory order for the grant of the permit under § 42(1) alternative 2 VwGO; in the case of a bound decision, a judgment ordering the authority to act, otherwise a judgment ordering a decision under § 113(5) VwGO.
- Action for annulment against revocation or withdrawal; time limits under §§ 70, 74 VwGO.
- Immediate enforcement under § 80(2) sentence 1 no. 4 VwGO with the requirement to state reasons under § 80(3) VwGO; legal remedy § 80(5) VwGO.
- Fine and criminal liability: activity without the required permit is punishable by a fine under § 144 GewO ; the security trade has additional requirements in § 34a(1), the violation of which is separately sanctioned.
Deterministic calculation
The calculator in ../../../scripts/legal_calc/ performs only the arithmetic; the start of the period remains a legal input:
# Fünfjahreszeitraum der Regelvermutung § 34c Abs. 2 Nr. 1 GewO, Antrag am 01.04.2026
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 01.04.2021 --menge 5 --einheit jahre --land BY
# Jahresfrist § 48 Abs. 4 VwVfG ab vollständiger Kenntnis der Behörde am 15.09.2025
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 15.09.2025 --menge 1 --einheit jahre --land BY
# Weiterbildungszeitraum § 34c Abs. 2a GewO: drei Kalenderjahre ab 01.01.2026
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 01.01.2026 --menge 3 --einheit jahre --land BY
# Widerspruchsfrist § 70 VwGO
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 20.05.2026 --menge 1 --einheit monate --land BY
Sources
Statutes
- § 6 GewO, § 15 GewO, § 34a GewO, § 34c GewO, § 34d GewO, § 34f GewO, § 34h GewO, § 34i GewO, § 35 GewO, § 144 GewO
- MaBV — § 2, § 7, § 15b
- § 48 VwVfG, § 49 VwVfG, § 28 VwVfG, § 39 VwVfG
- § 42 VwGO, § 70 VwGO, § 74 VwGO, § 80 VwGO, § 113 VwGO
- § 26 InsO, § 882b ZPO, § 549 BGB, § 1 WEG
- BZRG; BewachV, FinVermV, VersVermV
[unverifiziert – prüfen]with regard to the version applicable in each case
Commentaries
- Landmann/Rohmer, GewO, §§ 34a, 34c, 34f.
- Pielow, GewO, § 34c.
- Ennuschat/Wank/Winkler, GewO, § 34c, § 35.
- Marcks, MaBV (commentary on the Broker and Developer Regulation).
- Kopp/Ramsauer, VwVfG, §§ 48, 49.
Case law
There is settled case law of the Federal Administrative Court and the Higher Administrative Courts on reliability under Section 34c of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act, on rebutting the statutory presumptions and on the one-year period under Section 48(4) of the Administrative Procedure Act. Every specific decision must be verified in juris, Beck-Online or on bverwg.de before use; without substantiation it is deemed [unverifiziert – prüfen].
Output format
GEWERBEERLAUBNIS — <Mandat> — <Datum>
I. Zuordnung
Tätigkeit: <…>
Erlaubnisnorm: <§ 34a / 34c Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. … / 34d / 34f / 34i GewO>
Zuständigkeit: <Behörde / IHK>
Abgrenzung § 6 GewO: [nicht einschlägig / freier Beruf]
Abgrenzung KWG/WpIG/KAGB: <…>
II. Versagungsgründe
Zuverlässigkeit § 34c Abs. 2 Nr. 1:
Regelvermutung (5 Jahre, Katalogtaten): [greift — Widerlegung: … / greift nicht]
Betriebsleiter geprüft: [ja / nein]
Vermögensverhältnisse Nr. 2:
Insolvenz / § 882b ZPO / § 26 Abs. 2 InsO: [eingetragen — Widerlegung: … / nein]
Berufshaftpflicht Nr. 3 (Verwalter): [nachgewiesen / fehlt]
Sachkunde § 34a Abs. 1 S. 3 Nr. 3: [nachgewiesen / fehlt]
III. Laufende Pflichten
Weiterbildung § 34c Abs. 2a: 20 Stunden / 3 Kalenderjahre; Zeitraum <…> bis <…>
MaBV-Pflichten: <Sicherheitsleistung / getrennte Vermögensverwaltung / Prüfbericht>
Registerpflichten: <Vermittlerregister / Bewacherregister>
Auflagen: <…>
IV. Bestandserlaubnis: Aufhebung
§ 35 Abs. 8 GewO: Untersagung gesperrt — maßgeblich sind §§ 48, 49 VwVfG
Rücknahme § 48 VwVfG: [Erlaubnis anfänglich rechtswidrig? / nein]
Widerruf § 49 Abs. 2 S. 1 Nr. 3 VwVfG: [nachträgliche Tatsachen / nein]
Jahresfrist § 48 Abs. 4 VwVfG: Kenntnis am <Datum> → Frist bis <Datum>
Vertrauensschutz: <…>
V. Verfahren und Rechtsschutz
Anhörung § 28 VwVfG: [erfolgt / unterblieben]
Begründung § 39 VwVfG: [tragfähig / formelhaft]
Rechtsbehelf: <Verpflichtungs- / Anfechtungsklage>, Frist bis <Datum>
Sofortvollzug: [angeordnet — § 80 Abs. 3 VwGO tragfähig? / nein]
Bußgeldrisiko § 144 GewO: <…>
VI. Risiko: 🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 <Begründung>
VII. Quellenverzeichnis
Risks / typical errors
- Section 35 of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act was examined instead of Sections 48, 49 of the Administrative Procedure Act. For trades subject to licensing, Section 35(8) of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act bars prohibition; revocation and withdrawal are decisive.
- The one-year period under Section 48(4) of the Administrative Procedure Act was not examined. It is the most effective formal ground of challenge to withdrawal and revocation.
- Statutory presumptions were treated as irrebuttable. Section 34c(2) no. 1 and no. 2 of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act formulate statutory presumptions; rebuttal requires specific submissions.
- The five-year period was calculated incorrectly. It runs backwards from application, not from the authority's decision.
- The managing director and persons authorized to represent the company were not examined. Section 34c(2) no. 1 of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act expressly covers them.
- The wrong licensing provision was chosen. The classification among Section 34c no. 1 to 4, Section 34d, Section 34f and Section 34i determines jurisdiction and ancillary obligations; for insurance brokers the Chamber of Industry and Commerce is responsible.
- The distinction from supervisory law was overlooked. Section 34f of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act applies only to the extent of the sectoral exemptions of the Banking Act and the Payment Services Supervision Act; beyond that, a BaFin license is required.
- Professional indemnity insurance and further training of the residential property manager were forgotten. Section 34c(2) no. 3 and (2a) of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act are independent obligations with their own time limits.
- MaBV obligations were treated as a mere formality. Their violation is subject to a fine and contributes to the prognosis of unreliability.
- Case law was fabricated. Every decision must be substantiated or marked as
[unverifiziert – prüfen].