Mortgage document checklist Germany (PDF): which real estate documents does every bank want?
Time is almost never lost at the credit decision, but in waiting for a single sheet. This checklist lists all 58 documents in the order a German lender wants to see them.
Which documents does a German mortgage file need?
The person first, then the money, then the property: ID and registration, proof of income, equity and existing loans, then the property documents. The Germany mortgage checklist (PDF, 9 pages, German and English) lists all 58 documents — for employees, civil servants, pensioners and the self-employed living in Germany.
Download the checklist: open the PDF directly or receive it by email
- Mortgage checklist Germany · 58 documents, German and English, to tick off
- By email · as an attachment, ready to use
Open the PDF directly — no form: Mortgage checklist Germany (PDF, 9 pages)
Real estate documents Germany: which ones expire?
The checklist sets out all 58 documents by group together with the deadlines, a capital-requirement sheet, side costs by federal state, a worked example and the five most expensive mistakes, with every item in German and English.
What is in the checklist? All 58 documents by group, the deadlines, a capital-requirement sheet, side costs by federal state, a worked example and the five most expensive mistakes.
Why bilingual? Every item is in German and English — the papers you need to obtain have a German name.
Does it cost anything?
No. Open the PDF directly without a form or receive it by email.
A document that is out of date counts as a missing one. Five documents expire:
Proof of equity — account and portfolio statements no more than four weeks old; Land-register extract — no more than three months old; Payslips — the last three plus the prior-year December payslip; Self-employed — current BWA with trial balance, from July also the annual accounts; KfW subsidy — the application must precede the start of the project.
Property documents: what does the bank want to see about the property?
For the property, the bank wants official documents, not the details from the sales brochure: land register extract, cadastral map, dimensioned plans from the building file, a floor-area calculation and the energy certificate. If they are missing or not in the required form, the valuation stalls — and with it the approval.
Land register extract (Grundbuchauszug) — complete and no more than three months old; if section 2 lists rights such as a right of residence, usufruct, right of way or utility easement, the bank also needs the deeds behind them; Right of way — if the plot has no direct access to a public road, a right of way must be registered in the land register — no bank accepts an alleged customary right;
Cadastral map (Flurkarte) — the official map; if a building or extension is not shown on it, the bank will ask whether it was ever approved; Floor plans, sections, elevations — dimensioned, from the building file and stamped by the architect; many banks do not accept self-drawn plans.
Getting the building file from the building authority can take several weeks; Floor-area calculation — some banks want it stamped and signed by an architect; Modernisations — a list of past modernisations with year and cost — it extends the remaining useful life the bank works with and so raises the bank value;
Apartment — declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) with all amendments, the division plan and the certificate of self-containment; missing plans are available from the land registry; Register of building encumbrances (Baulastverzeichnis) — an extract from the building authority; Bavaria has no such register, restrictions there are entered in the land register; Energy certificate — banks now ask for it on every loan, including follow-up financing; either the consumption-based or the demand-based certificate is accepted.
How the bank derives its value from these documents: bank value explained.
Which checklist fits if your case is different?
Living abroad: the non-resident checklist. Doctors: the checklist for doctors. Developers: the project finance checklist. The forms: self-disclosure, assets and liabilities statement and rent roll.
What this checklist doesn't replace
The checklist is general guidance, not individual financing, legal or tax advice.
Consumer property loans are arranged under the licence pursuant to §34i GewO (Olga Nikushkina).
Frequently asked questions
Which documents does a German bank need for a mortgage?
Documents on the person, the income, assets and liabilities and the property — 58 items in eight groups, of which only those that apply to your case count. The full list is in the checklist PDF (9 pages).
How old may the documents be?
Account and portfolio statements as proof of equity no more than four weeks, the land-register extract no more than three months. Plus the last three payslips and the prior-year December payslip; for the self-employed, from July also the annual accounts.
Who is this checklist for?
Employees, civil servants, pensioners and the self-employed living in Germany. If you live abroad, use the non-resident checklist.
Any questions on this topic?
A first consultation is free and without obligation — the commission is, as a rule, paid by the bank. We tell you what this means for your own financing.
Related pages
bank value explained
Property valuation by German banks: why the bank value sits below the purchase price, what CRR III changed and what is negotiable. Free briefing note.
non-resident checklist
Mortgage application documents for buyers living abroad: the full checklist and why first banks reject — plus a fillable PDF. § 34i GewO.
checklist for doctors
Mortgage income requirements for doctors: the documents banks require by career stage, including practice purchase and cases abroad. Free checklist.
Editorially responsible: Olga Nikushkina — owner, §34i GewO (German mortgage brokerage), adviser register D-W-132-ZUCB-95. Specialised in German property financing with an international dimension: non-residents, foreign-currency income, cross-border workers, expats. Siegfried Perini is entered in the German intermediary register under this licence as a person directly involved in brokerage and advice (§ 11a GewO), active in real estate since 1992. Not legal or tax advice.