Several thousand foreclosure auction hearings take place in Germany each year. Tracking them down is harder than it sounds: hearings are spread across dozens of local courts and several portals, update intervals vary, and some properties only appear in regional notices.
This article explains the relevant sources, what each is good and bad at, and how to set up an efficient search for your target region.
The ZVG portal is the official database of the German justice system for foreclosure auction dates. The local courts are obliged to publish their hearings there. It is therefore the most complete source, and the legally binding one.
The portal works, but it is not comfortable to use: no map view, no analysed reports, no direct access to the documents, no view on yield. For a first search it is indispensable. For a well-founded buying decision it is not enough.
Every local court also posts auction dates on its own notice board. Some courts run websites with their own lists. These can be more current than the central portal, since updates there are sometimes delayed.
When is the direct route worth it?
If you are searching in one very specific district, it is worth contacting the local court or reading the notices there in person. In smaller communities that can be the most current source there is.
Klaava brings the hearings from the ZVG portal and the court databases together in one platform, nationwide and updated daily. On top of that Klaava offers:
For bidders who search regularly, Klaava saves several hours of manual research a week.
Some of the large property portals list foreclosure properties:
These are useful as a supplement. They do not replace a proper search on the ZVG portal or on Klaava.
Historically, foreclosure auctions were announced in local papers and official gazettes. Since publication on zvgportal.de became mandatory this source matters less, but in the odd case it can carry early information.
Lawyers and receivers working in this field sometimes learn about coming proceedings in advance. Anyone very active in one segment can benefit from that network. For a newcomer it is barely accessible.
Between the court ordering the auction and the hearing itself there are usually 4 to 12 months. The public notice comes at the latest 6 weeks before the date, often earlier.
In practice: set up search alerts that tell you at once about new properties in your target region. On Klaava that runs through a saved filter. You then see properties early, before they become widely known.
Under § 39 ZVG the official notice of an auction hearing contains at least:
The report itself can usually be inspected at the court, or retrieved digitally, 4 to 6 weeks before the hearing. Klaava puts the available reports straight onto the property page.
Define the regions you would actually buy in. The tighter the definition, the faster you can act when something suitable appears.
Use an upper bound on the appraised value, the property type and the hearing date. On Klaava you can also filter by condition (empty or occupied), by yield potential and by the rating.
As soon as a property matching your criteria appears:
How do I find hearings near me? Go to zvgportal.de, choose the federal state and court district, and set the date filter to the next 8 weeks. Or use Klaava, with the map view and a search radius.
Are all hearings published on zvgportal.de? Under § 39 ZVG the courts must publish their hearings there. In practice there are occasional delays of a few days.
How far ahead do hearings appear? Usually 4 to 8 weeks before the date, sometimes earlier. Early alerts matter if you want enough time to prepare.
Can I ask the local court directly? Yes. You can write to or ring the court office responsible and ask about coming hearings. In smaller districts that is well worth doing.
Are auction hearings public? Yes. Anyone can attend without registering or being invited, even just to watch. Only those who can prove a valid bid deposit may bid.
The full course of a hearing is set out in how a German foreclosure auction works. What to look for in the report is covered in reading a German valuation report.
This article is general information and makes no claim to be exhaustive.
Klaava
Foreclosure auctions across Germany. Valuation reports read. Yield calculator. Updated daily.
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