Short answer: put it in writing with a clear deadline, then bring in the advisory board. If that fails, get the issue onto the agenda of an owners’ meeting, or get a meeting called. The last step is a vote to dismiss the Verwalter, which owners can do at any time without giving a special reason.
First, who works for whom
Your WEG Hausverwaltung (building management) is hired by the WEG, the community of all owners in the building. Not by you personally. You can’t fire it on your own, and it doesn’t take orders from a single owner.
You still have real leverage, though. Every owner can demand proper management of the common property from the WEG, and every owner can inspect the management records (§ 18 WEG).
Check one thing first. The Hausverwaltung looks after the roof, the stairwell, the heating and the shared accounts. A broken dishwasher in your flat is a matter for you or your rental manager
Step 1: Write it down, with a date.
Phone calls leave no trace. Send an email instead. Say what the problem is, what you want done, and by when. Two weeks is fair for most things. For a leak, give them a few days.
Here’s a pattern we see a lot. An owner abroad reports a damp patch in the stairwell in spring. Two friendly emails, no reply, and by autumn the repair costs more. A firmer first message would have read: “Please confirm by 15 November that a roofer has inspected the damp patch on the third floor landing. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll ask for it to go on the agenda of the next owners’ meeting.”
Keep every message and every reply in one folder. You may need that trail later.
Step 2: Copy the advisory board
Many WEGs have a Verwaltungsbeirat (advisory board) made up of fellow owners. Part of its job is to support the Verwalter and keep an eye on its work. Copy the chair on your second email. A manager who ignores one owner usually answers the board.
No board? Talk to your neighbours anyway. You are rarely the only one waiting.
Step 3: Get it on the agenda
The WEG makes its decisions at the Eigentümerversammlung (owners’ meeting). Ask in writing for your point to be added to the agenda. It also matters later: before a court will order the WEG to act, the owners normally need to have voted on the issue.
The Verwalter has to call a meeting at least once a year. If that’s too far away, more than a quarter of the owners can demand an extra meeting in text form (email counts), giving the purpose and the reasons. If the Verwalter refuses without good cause, the chair of the advisory board or their deputy can send the invitation instead. Invitations should go out at least three weeks ahead.
Step 4: Vote on dismissal
Since the WEG reform of December 2020, owners can dismiss their Verwalter at any time. Nobody has to prove an important reason. A majority of the votes cast at the meeting decides, and the management contract ends six months later at the latest.
Before anyone puts that motion forward, line up the replacement. A building with no manager is worse off than one with a slow manager. We’ll cover the switch itself in a separate guide.
Our take
In our experience, most silent Hausverwaltungen aren’t acting in bad faith. They’re stretched, with too many buildings and too few staff. Silence still isn’t acceptable, but a calm, dated, written request usually gets further than an angry call. Keep dismissal for when you have the votes. Threatening it in your first email rarely helps.
How Your Home Berlin helps
When we manage a flat for an owner abroad, we deal with the Hausverwaltung for them. We write the requests, set the deadlines, keep the paper trail and follow up with the advisory board. With a voting proxy, we can also attend the owners’ meeting and vote as you instruct.
Want the four steps, a sample email in English and German, and the key deadlines on one page? Download the free checklist when you sign up for our owner newsletter. We’ll send a confirmation email first, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Questions about your own building? Write to info@yourhomeberlin.com.
General information, not legal advice. Your WEG may have its own rules in its Teilungserklärung (declaration of division), so for a specific dispute, talk to a lawyer.
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