Purpose
The declaration of division is the constitution of a residential property owners' association: it determines for decades who owns which building component, who bears which costs and which majorities will be required in future. Errors in it can later be corrected only with the consent of all or by way of a judicially enforced adjustment — which is why the entire effort lies in the drafting, not in the repair. This skill drafts and reviews the declaration of division, the community rules and special rights of use to the point of readiness for the land register.
Delimitation: The ongoing operation of the association is covered in the plugin
wohnungseigentumsrecht. For challenge of resolutions see/wohnungseigentumsrecht:beschlussanfechtung, for the annual statement of accounts/wohnungseigentumsrecht:hausgeldabrechnung, for conversions/wohnungseigentumsrecht:bauliche-veraenderung. This skill deals exclusively with the creation and drafting level.
Inputs
- Method of creation: contractual grant by co-owners (§ 3 WEG) or division by the sole owner (§ 8 WEG)
- Property and land register status; existing encumbrances in Division II and III and their creditors
- Structural situation: number and location of the units, cellars, parking spaces, attic, commercial units
- Division plan and status of the certificate of separateness
- Desired co-ownership shares and their reference quantity (living area, market value)
- Planned special rights of use (garden areas, parking spaces, terraces, cellar rooms)
- Desired rules for the community rules: cost allocation, restrictions on use, powers of the administrator, opening clause
- In case of amendment: version in force, desired amendment, willingness to consent, holders of rights in rem
Sub-agent architecture
- Researcher (
../../agents/researcher.md) obtains the WEG in the version of the WEMoG, the GBO and commentary passages (Bärmann, Jennißen, Hügel/Elzer) as well as the BGH lines on the capacity to be subject to separate ownership. - Drafter (
../../agents/drafter.md) formulates the declaration of division, the community rules and the land register applications. - Reviewer (
../../agents/reviewer.md) reviews separateness, allocation, the real-property effect of the special rights of use and the consent requirements.
Procedure
1. Method of creation: § 3 WEG or § 8 WEG (§ 3 WEG, § 8 WEG)
- § 3 WEG — contractual grant: Several co-owners grant one another by contract mutually create separate ownership of certain apartments. The agreement of all co-owners is required; form and execution follow the land register procedure (§§ 4, 7 WEG). Typical in building cooperatives and in subsequent division among siblings.
- § 8 WEG — Division by the owner: The sole owner divides the property by unilateral declaration to the land registry office into co-ownership shares, each of which is linked to separate ownership. This is the standard route for the developer because it works without the involvement of third parties. The declaration does not require notarization, but it does require the form of § 29 GBO; in practice, it is notarized because the community rules are also regulated.
Essential for both routes: condominium ownership arises only upon creation of the condominium land registers (§ 7 WEG). Since the WEMoG, under § 8 (1) WEG separate ownership can also be established for parts of the property located outside the building (parking spaces, terraces, garden areas) — in many cases this displaces the special right of use that was previously required.
2. Declaration of division and community rules
The declaration of division in the narrower sense contains the property-law part: formation of the co-ownership shares, allocation of the separate ownership, reference to the division plan and the certificate of separate usability, land registry applications.
The community rules are the contractual-organizational part, which by registration becomes content of the separate ownership (§ 10 (3) WEG) and therefore has effect against successors in title. They regulate in particular:
- Cost allocation deviating from the statutory standard of co-ownership shares (§ 16 (2) WEG),
- Use restrictions (residential use, prohibition of commercial use, keeping of animals, short-term letting),
- Maintenance obligations of individual owners for components of the common property (windows, balconies) — only effective if cost bearing and obligation are clearly assigned,
- Voting principle (head, object or value principle),
- Opening clause: the practically most important provision of all, because it makes later amendment possible by qualified majority instead of unanimous consent.
Interpretation principle: The community rules are interpreted as land register content objectively and normatively — decisive is the wording and meaning as it presents itself to an unprejudiced observer as the most natural meaning; circumstances outside the registration and the reference document are not taken into account.
3. Separate ownership and common property (§ 5 WEG)
Capable of separate ownership are the rooms named in § 5 (1) WEG and the components belonging to them that can be altered, removed or added, without impairing the common property or a right of another condominium owner based on separate property and without changing the external appearance of the building.
Mandatory common property (Section 5 (2) WEG) are parts that are required for the existence or safety of the building, as well as installations and facilities that serve common use — even if they are located within the area of a separate property unit. Any differing allocation in the declaration of division is invalidin this respect. This includes load-bearing walls and ceilings, foundation, roof, facade, stairwell, supply lines up to the branch, as well as windows including frames.
The core test question is therefore always: Can the component be removed without affecting the existence, safety or external appearance? Example from case law: In the case of a double-deck garage, the separate property extends to the associated lifting system (BGH, judgment of 21 October 2011 – V ZR 75/11 — verified: https://dejure.org/dienste/vernetzung/rechtsprechung?Gericht=BGH&Datum=2011-10-21&Aktenzeichen=V%20ZR%2075/11). Pursuant to Section 5 (4) WEG, agreements can be made regarding the relationship of the condominium owners to the content of the separate property.
4. Special rights of use
A special right of use excludes the other owners from the use of a part of the common property without separate property arising. It is not a real right of its own kind, but an agreement that has effect against special successors by entry in the land register pursuant to Section 10 (3) WEG — without entry, it binds only the current owners. Drafting rules:
- The object must be clearly determined : reference to an area hatched and numbered in the division plan or an attached site plan.
- The cost bearing for the assigned area must be expressly regulated; otherwise the statutory distribution key remains and the beneficiary uses at the expense of all.
- In the case of division pursuant to Section 8 WEG, the dividing owner regularly reserves the right to assign special rights of use later (reservation of assignment); this reservation must be entered.
- Since the WEMoG, it must be examined whether instead of a special right of use, genuine separate property can be established on the exterior area pursuant to Section 3 (1) sentence 2 WEG — this is more legally secure and more favorable for financing.
5. Division plan and certificate of separateness (Section 7 WEG)
To create the condominium land registers, the following must be attached to the registration authorization: a division plan — a building drawing provided by the building authority with signature and seal, from which the division of the building as well as the location and size of the building parts held in separate property and in common property are evident — and the certificate of separateness the building authority. All rooms belonging to the same unit must be marked with the same number ; the numbering must match the declaration of division. If the actual construction deviates from the division plan, separate ownership arises only to the extent that the plan and construction coincide — the consequence is "air register" entries and years of disputes. The certificate of completeness is a building-lawreview, not a residential-property-law review; it does not replace a building permit for a changed use.
6. Amendment of the community rules
Because the community rules are part of the separate ownership, amending them in principle requires an agreement of all condominium owners and their entry in the land register; in addition, the consent of holders of rights in rem (mortgage creditors) must be obtained to the extent that their rights are impaired. Three facilitations:
- Opening clause in the community rules: enables amendment by resolution with the majority specified there. Such a resolution has effect against special successors even without entry (Section 10(3) WEG); for clarity, however, it should be entered.
- Statutory resolution powers since the WEMoG, in particular for cost allocation in individual cases (Section 16(2) sentence 2 WEG) and for structural alterations (Section 20 WEG).
- Claim for adjustment under Section 10(2) WEG: Every condominium owner may demand an agreement deviating from the law or its adjustment to the extent that adhering to it appears inequitable for serious reasons after consideration of all circumstances. That is a high threshold and not a tool for merely impractical rules.
A resolution without resolution power is void, not merely contestable — the difference determines whether the one-month period of the right of contestation plays any role at all. In depth: /wohnungseigentumsrecht:beschlussanfechtung.
Deterministic calculation
The transaction value of a declaration of division and the costs of a dispute over the adjustment of the community rules are arithmetic; the calculator in ../../../scripts/legal_calc/ performs only these. The determination of the transaction value under Section 49 GNotKG or of the amount in dispute in WEG matters remains legal input. A GNotKG module is not implemented; notary costs must be determined manually against the KV GNotKG.
# Kosten eines Verfahrens über die Anpassung der Gemeinschaftsordnung
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli rvg --wert 25000 --posten verfahren termin
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli gkg --wert 25000 --faktor 3.0
# Monatsfrist der Beschlussanfechtung ab Beschlussfassung (§ 45 WEG)
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 15.01.2026 --menge 1 --einheit monate --land BY
--json provides the calculation steps together with the citation of the provision. The RVG/GKG tables carry a standfield; check against the current Annex 2 before use.
Sources
Statutes
- Section 1 WEG, Section 3 WEG, Section 5 WEG, Section 7 WEG, Section 8 WEG
- Section 10 WEG (agreements, adjustment, effect against special successors), Section 16 WEG, Section 20 WEG
- Section 29 GBO, § 13 GBO, § 19 GBO
Commentaries
- Armbrüster, in: Bärmann, WEG, 15th ed. 2023, § 5 marginal no. 1 et seq.; § 8 marginal no. 1 et seq.
- Hügel, in: Hügel/Elzer, WEG, 3rd ed. 2021, § 3 marginal no. 1 et seq.; § 7 marginal no. 1 et seq.
- Schultzky, in: Jennißen, WEG, 8th ed. 2024, § 10 marginal no. 1 et seq.
- Schöner/Stöber, Grundbuchrecht, 16th ed. 2020, marginal no. 1 et seq. (condominium land register)
Case law
- BGH, judgment of 21.10.2011 – V ZR 75/11 (extension of the special ownership in a double-deck garage to the associated lifting system; §§ 3(2) sentence 2, 5(2) WEG) — verified: https://dejure.org/dienste/vernetzung/rechtsprechung?Gericht=BGH&Datum=2011-10-21&Aktenzeichen=V%20ZR%2075/11
- For the objective-normative interpretation of the community rules according to their most natural meaning for an unprejudiced observer, the settled case law of the BGH is to be consulted
[unverifiziert - prüfen]. - For deviations between the allocation plan and the actual construction and for the consequences for the creation of special ownership, the relevant BGH case law is to be consulted
[unverifiziert - prüfen]. Do not adopt any case number without your own verification in juris / Beck-Online.
Drafting aid — declaration of division § 8 WEG
Teilungserklärung und Gemeinschaftsordnung
I. Teilung (§ 8 WEG)
Der Eigentümer teilt das Eigentum an dem Grundstück <Gemarkung, Flur,
Flurstück>, eingetragen im Grundbuch von <…>, Blatt <…>, gemäß § 8 WEG in
folgende Miteigentumsanteile, mit denen jeweils Sondereigentum verbunden ist:
1. <…>/1.000 Miteigentumsanteil, verbunden mit dem Sondereigentum an der
Wohnung Nr. 1 im Erdgeschoss nebst Kellerraum Nr. 1, im Aufteilungsplan
jeweils mit "1" bezeichnet;
2. <…>/1.000 Miteigentumsanteil, verbunden mit dem Sondereigentum an der
Wohnung Nr. 2 …
II. Aufteilungsplan und Abgeschlossenheit (§ 7 WEG)
Auf den beigefügten, von der Bauaufsichtsbehörde <…> mit Unterschrift und
Siegel versehenen Aufteilungsplan vom <Datum> und die
Abgeschlossenheitsbescheinigung vom <Datum> wird Bezug genommen. Alle zu
derselben Einheit gehörenden Räume tragen dieselbe Nummer.
III. Sondernutzungsrechte
Dem jeweiligen Eigentümer der Einheit Nr. 1 wird das alleinige und
ausschließliche Recht zur Nutzung der im beigefügten Lageplan grün
schraffierten, mit "SNR 1" bezeichneten Gartenfläche eingeräumt; die übrigen
Wohnungseigentümer sind insoweit vom Mitgebrauch ausgeschlossen. Die Kosten
der Unterhaltung, Pflege und Verkehrssicherung dieser Fläche trägt der
Berechtigte allein. Die Eintragung dieser Vereinbarung als Inhalt des
Sondereigentums (§ 10 Abs. 3 WEG) wird bewilligt und beantragt.
IV. Öffnungsklausel
Die Wohnungseigentümer können Vereinbarungen dieser Gemeinschaftsordnung mit
einer Mehrheit von zwei Dritteln aller stimmberechtigten Wohnungseigentümer
und der Hälfte aller Miteigentumsanteile ändern; ausgenommen sind Eingriffe
in die Zuordnung von Sondereigentum, in Sondernutzungsrechte und in das
Verhältnis der Miteigentumsanteile.
V. Grundbuchanträge
Es wird bewilligt und beantragt, für jeden vorgenannten Miteigentumsanteil
ein besonderes Wohnungsgrundbuchblatt anzulegen und die vorstehenden
Vereinbarungen als Inhalt des Sondereigentums einzutragen.
Output format
TEILUNGSERKLÄRUNG / WEG-BEGRÜNDUNG — <Entwurf / Prüfung / Änderung> — <Datum>
I. Begründungsweg [§ 3 WEG Vertrag / § 8 WEG einseitig]
II. Miteigentumsanteile Summe = 1.000/1.000 [✅ / ❌]
Bezugsgröße <Wohnfläche / Verkehrswert>
III. Zuordnung § 5 WEG
- Sondereigentumsfähig <Aufzählung>
- Zwingend Gemeinschaft Dach, Fassade, tragende Teile, Fenster …
- Fehlzuweisungen [keine / 🔴 unwirksam: <…>]
IV. Sondernutzungsrechte Gegenstand bestimmt [✅ / ⚠️]
Eintragung § 10 Abs. 3 WEG [✅ / 🔴 nur schuldrechtlich]
Kostentragung geregelt [✅ / ❌]
Alternative Sondereigentum [geprüft / nicht geprüft]
V. Aufteilungsplan § 7 WEG Siegel + Unterschrift [✅ / ❌]
Abgeschlossenheit vom <Datum>
Nummerierung deckungsgleich [✅ / 🔴 Abweichung Bau/Plan]
VI. Gemeinschaftsordnung
- Kostenverteilung § 16 <Schlüssel>
- Nutzungsbeschränkungen <…>
- Stimmprinzip [Kopf / Objekt / Wert]
- Öffnungsklausel [✅ vorhanden / 🔴 fehlt]
VII. Änderung [Vereinbarung aller / Öffnungsklausel /
§ 10 Abs. 2 WEG Anpassung]
Zustimmung dinglich Ber. [erforderlich / erteilt / offen]
VIII. Querverweise /wohnungseigentumsrecht:beschlussanfechtung,
:hausgeldabrechnung, :bauliche-veraenderung
IX. Kosten s. Deterministische Berechnung
Ergebnis: <grundbuchreif / nachbessern / nicht vollzugsfähig>
Risiko: [🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴]
Risks / typical mistakes
- Mandatory common property declared as special ownership — roof, facade, load-bearing walls and windows are not capable of being special ownership under § 5(2) WEG; the allocation is invalid and the cost provision is ineffective.
- Special right of use not registered — without registration under § 10(3) WEG it does not bind any successor in title; the buyer of the neighboring unit may also use the garden.
- Special use area not clearly determined — without a hatched, numbered plan the right is not capable of being registered and cannot be enforced in a dispute.
- Deviation between allocation plan and construction — special ownership arises only to the extent that plan and construction coincide; the consequence is phantom land register entries and supplementary deeds.
- No opening clause included — any subsequent amendment requires the consent of all owners and holders of rights in rem; § 10(2) WEG helps only in cases of serious grounds.
- Maintenance obligation without cost allocation — transferring the obligation for windows or balconies to the individual owner without a clear cost provision creates permanent disputes.
- Resolution competence confused — a resolution that amends an agreement without an opening clause is void and not merely contestable; the contestation period is then irrelevant.