A Bauträger is a developer that builds in its own name on land it will transfer, selling plot and building together, usually before the building is complete. In our experience its quality matters more than the choice between buying forward and buying complete: the law limits the buyer's money at risk, not the risk of delay, failure or poor construction (Part 6).
What it is
German law uses the term in two senses.
Civil law. A developer contract (Bauträgervertrag) is a contract to build or convert a house or comparable building. It also obliges the developer to transfer ownership of the land, or to grant or transfer a heritable building right (§ 650u(1) BGB). Because it includes the land, it must be notarised (§ 311b(1) BGB). Works-contract law governs the construction, including acceptance and defect claims; sales law governs the claim to the land (§ 650u(1) sentences 2 and 3 BGB). The developer can demand instalments only as the MaBV permits (§ 650v BGB).
Trade law. Whoever commercially prepares or carries out building projects as builder-owner in their own name, using the money of buyers or other users, needs a licence (§ 34c(1) sentence 1 no. 3 lit. a GewO) and must follow the MaBV.
Why it matters to investors
Outside ALDI's and Lidl's own building programmes, new stores for Germany's leading food retailers are delivered largely by a small circle of developers who have worked with the same chains for decades. They allocate the best projects to buyers they know (Part 3). A forward purchase lets the investor negotiate a better price and influence construction in return for carrying construction and completion risk. In our illustration, the developer's saved construction interest alone comes to 2% of a €10 million price (Part 6).
The relationship outlasts the opening. For five years after acceptance, the developer owes the remedies for defects in the building (§ 634a(1) no. 2, (2) BGB) — a claim worth only as much as the developer's balance sheet. Investors therefore negotiate a warranty guarantee, in our experience around 5% of the contract sum, and test the developer on evidence rather than reputation (Part 6).
What to check
• The developer's licence under § 34c GewO, its financial statements and the stores it has delivered for the same retailer.
• The defect lists at those stores' acceptance, and how quickly the defects were closed.
• Whether the deal is a developer contract with MaBV-compliant payments, or a land purchase plus a separate construction contract.
• A warranty guarantee for the five years after acceptance.
• Independent construction monitoring, with the adviser's report ready before acceptance (Part 6).
Sources: BGB §§ 311b(1), 634a, 650u, 650v; GewO § 34c(1); MaBV; Gordon Real Estate Group, "German Prime Retail", Parts 3 and 6. Legal position as of 10 October 2026.
Photo: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
This entry is general information and not legal or tax advice.