Apply for certificate of seclusion according to the Condominium Act

You must apply for a certificate of seclusion if you wish to establish a separate property or assert a permanent right of residence.

If you establish separate ownership of an apartment or of rooms not used for residential purposes (e.g., commercial) or of a parking space, you will need a certificate of seclusion. You also need this if you want to assert the right to permanently occupy a certain apartment in the building (permanent right of residence).

The certificate of seclusion proves that

• a dwelling is sufficiently separated from other dwellings or rooms by construction, or
• rooms not used for residential purposes (partial ownership) are closed off from other rooms.

Special ownership can also be established for parking spaces and parts of the property outside the building, such as terraces or garden areas. The separate ownership must be clearly defined by dimension specifications in the construction drawing / partition plan.

The certificate of seclusion is issued by the responsible building authority after checking your documents.

• competent building authority of the country

• Forms/ online services available: No
• Written form required: depends on state law
• Informal application possible: Yes
• Personal appearance required: No

• You must prove that you are either the owner or heritable building right holder of the apartments for which a certificate of seclusion is requested. Alternatively, you must provide credible evidence of your legitimate interest (e.g., purchaser).
• Condominiums are deemed to be self-contained if
  • it is structurally separated from other apartments or rooms, for example by walls and ceilings, and
  • has its own lockable access directly from the outside, from a staircase or an anteroom; the access may not lead via another separate property or via a neighboring property without real security.
• A self-contained apartment or self-contained rooms not used for residential purposes may include additional lockable rooms outside the respective enclosure (for example, storage rooms in the basement).
• Parking spaces as well as parts of the property outside the building (such as terraces and garden areas), on which separate ownership is also to be established, must be clearly defined by dimension specifications in the construction drawing / partition plan.

• administrative court action (the certificate of seclusion is not an administrative act)

• You fill out the application and submit it to the relevant building authority together with the required documents.
• The building authority will check your application and the documents.
• If all requirements are met, the building authority will issue you a certificate of seclusion together with a copy of the construction drawing / partition plan.