Calculating rentable and living areas

In a living area calculation we survey the real living area of a flat or house exactly and calculate it by a recognised standard, usually the German Living Space Ordinance (Wohnflächenverordnung, WoFlV). All rooms are captured and, depending on ceiling height and use, counted fully, partly or not at all, for example rooms under sloping roofs, balconies or cellars. The result is a clear list of areas, room by room.

We use modern equipment and reach millimetre accuracy, even in angular old buildings or attic flats.

An exact living area calculation matters wherever the area of a property has financial or legal effects. Landlords need it for the figure in the tenancy agreement, for rent increases and for sharing service charges. When you buy or sell a property, the living area is a key basis for the price and the valuation, and banks often ask for it for a mortgage.

It also helps with conversion and modernisation plans, when a building is divided into owner-occupied flats and in disputes about different area figures. A professionally calculated living area creates clarity and legal certainty for everyone involved.

The living area refers to living space and is usually calculated by the Living Space Ordinance (WoFlV). Some areas count only partly, for example rooms under sloping roofs or balconies. The rentable area matters above all for commercial property such as offices, shops or factory halls. It is usually calculated by the MF/G guideline of the GIF (German Society of Property Researchers) or on the basis of DIN 277. For housing, the GIF has the MF/W guideline; there the rentable area is not the same as the living area.

Which standard applies depends on the use of the property and the contract. We are happy to advise you on the right method for your property.

Under the Living Space Ordinance, areas with a clear height of at least two metres count fully, areas between one and two metres count half and areas under one metre do not count. Balconies, loggias, roof gardens and terraces usually count a quarter, at most half. Cellars, boiler rooms and garages do not count as living area.

In attic flats and angular old buildings an exact survey is especially important, because large differences can arise quickly.

With modern 3D laser scanners such as the Z+F Imager 5016 or the mobile NavVis VLX 3 we capture rooms and whole buildings without contact and with millimetre accuracy. Unlike a classic survey with tape measure or hand laser, crooked walls, niches, sloping roofs and irregular floor plans are captured completely and exactly. The work on site is quick, and even large objects such as apartment buildings, department stores or commercial units can be surveyed efficiently.

You receive a clear area calculation by the agreed standard (for example WoFlV, DIN 277 or MF/G), broken down by rooms and units. On request we also create scaled, dimensioned floor plans, elevations and sections or a complete 3D building model as a basis for BIM.

These documents are suitable for tenancy agreements, service charge statements, sale, financing, conversion plans or certificates of self-containment. We work for you from our offices in Rostock and Dersum.

The certificate of self-containment (Abgeschlossenheitsbescheinigung) officially confirms that a flat or commercial unit is completely separated by construction from the other units in the building. You need it to divide a building into flat ownership or part ownership, so that each unit gets its own sheet in the land register (Grundbuch) (§ 7 Abs. 4 WEG). It is also required for parking spaces and for granting a permanent right of residence (Dauerwohnrecht).

The local building authority (untere Bauaufsichtsbehörde) is responsible. Usually this is your district. In Rostock, Schwerin, Greifswald, Neubrandenburg, Stralsund and Wismar it is the city itself. The owner applies, usually through the notary who records the deed. We prepare the division plan and put together all documents you must add to the application.

You need the application form, proof of ownership such as a current land register extract, a current extract from the cadastral map (Liegenschaftskarte) and the division plan. The division plan consists of site plan, floor plans, sections and elevations. All rooms that belong to one flat have the same number in it. For existing buildings, the plan must show the building as it actually is.

A flat is self-contained if walls and ceilings separate it completely from other rooms and it has its own lockable entrance. This entrance must lead directly from outside, from the staircase or from an entrance hall. Secondary rooms such as cellar compartments may be outside the flat if they can be locked and are assigned to the same unit in the plan. In practice, many authorities also check that the kitchen or cooking area, water connection and toilet are inside the flat.

Yes. Since the reform of the German law on flat ownership, parking spaces count as rooms and can be separate property of their own. Terraces and garden areas can be assigned to a flat, as long as the flat remains the main part in economic terms. These areas usually have no walls. So the division plan must define them by clear dimensions (§ 3 Abs. 3 WEG). This is exactly where we provide precise plans that are legally sound.

We provide land register extracts, cadastral maps, division plans of house and grounds, floor plans, sections and elevations. These are all the documents that you or your notary need for the application to the authority.