Sonderumlage
Special Levy. A one-off payment the WEG votes to demand from all owners for major works or deficits the maintenance reserve cannot cover: from a few hundred euros to five figures per unit.
Your share follows your co-ownership quota. The levy binds you once validly resolved: even if you voted against it or bought shortly before (check pending resolutions in due diligence!).
Defensive checklist: reserve balance per m², minutes of the last three owners' meetings, any commissioned engineering reports (roof, facade, heating age), and the administrator's maintenance plan. A cheap flat above a tired building is rarely cheap.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Sonderumlage?
A one-off special levy the condo owners' association raises when the regular budget and reserve do not cover a necessary expense, typically a major repair or renovation.
Who pays a special levy, buyer or seller?
In principle whoever is the registered owner when it falls due. A levy resolved before your purchase but payable afterwards can therefore land on you, which is why open and foreseeable levies should always be addressed explicitly in the purchase contract.
Is there an upper limit on a special levy?
No statutory limit. It has to correspond to proper administration and to the actual funding need. On major renovations, five-figure amounts per unit are possible.
Can I refuse to pay a special levy?
Only by challenging the resolution in court within one month under § 45 WEG. Without a successful challenge the resolution stands and must be paid, even if you voted against it.