Two deadlines every property manager needs
German condominium law has two deadlines that come up all the time: the notice period for the owners' meeting and the deadline for challenging a resolution. Both follow the Condominium Act (Wohnungseigentumsgesetz, WEG) as amended by the WEG Modernisation Act, in force since 1 December 2020.
They are counted under the general rules of the BGB: the day of the event – receipt of the invitation or the resolution – does not count (Section 187 (1) BGB), and the end follows Section 188 BGB.
Notice period: at least three weeks
The invitation to the owners' meeting must be in text form; a letter or an email is enough (Section 24 (4) sentence 1 WEG). There should be at least three weeks between receipt and the meeting, except in cases of particular urgency (Section 24 (4) sentence 2 WEG).
The period starts on the day after receipt and ends three weeks later on the weekday on which the invitation was received. To be sure three full weeks lie in between, the calculator schedules the meeting for the following day at the earliest.
Earliest safe meeting date = receipt + 21 days + 1 day
- It is a target rule: a notice period that is too short does not make resolutions void, but they can be challenged if it cannot be ruled out that the resolution is based on the defect.
- A longer period in the community rules takes precedence. Enter it under “More assumptions”.
- Weekends do not move the notice period. A later date never hurts.
Receipt, not sending
The period starts when the owner receives the invitation, not on the day you send it. Neither the BGB nor the WEG contains a rule on when a letter counts as received. Community rules sometimes include a deemed-receipt clause; whether it is valid is disputed.
If you only know the sending date, the calculator uses a buffer for postal delivery, three calendar days by default. If the estimated receipt falls on a weekend or public holiday, it uses the next working day – a later receipt is always the safe side. Enter a preferred date as well to see by when the invitation must be sent at the latest.
- Received on Monday, 5 October 2026.
- The period runs from 6 to 26 October 2026 (21 days) and ends on Monday, 26 October, at the end of the day (24:00).
- The earliest safe meeting date is Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
- Backwards: for a meeting on 27 October the invitation must be received by 5 October – with a three-day buffer, sent by Friday, 2 October.
Challenge deadline: one month to file, two to state grounds
Anyone who wants to challenge a resolution must file the action within one month of the resolution and state the grounds within two months of the resolution (Section 45 sentence 1 WEG). Both deadlines run from the resolution – including the deadline for grounds, not from the date the action is filed.
A one-month deadline ends on the day of the following month with the same number as the day of the resolution. If that day does not exist, such as 31 February, it ends on the last day of the month (Section 188 (3) BGB). If the end falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday at the place of the court, the deadline ends on the next working day (Section 193 BGB, Section 222 (2) ZPO).
Deadline = same day in the following month (or last day of month), moved to the next working day
Worked example: resolution on 31 January
The owners' meeting of a property in Berlin passes a resolution on Saturday, 31 January 2026.
- Filing deadline: one month later would be 31 February. That day does not exist, so the deadline arithmetically ends on the last day of the month, Saturday, 28 February 2026.
- 28 February is a Saturday. The deadline therefore ends on Monday, 2 March 2026, at the end of the day (24:00).
- Deadline for grounds: two months after the resolution is Tuesday, 31 March 2026 – a working day, no shift.
With a resolution on 4 May 2026 in Bavaria, the filing deadline ends on Friday, 5 June 2026: 4 June is Corpus Christi there. In Berlin it stays on 4 June.
Which public holidays count
For Section 193 BGB, the public holidays at the place of the court count. Disputes under the WEG go to the court in whose district the property is located (Section 43 WEG). That is why the calculator asks for the state of the property.
Nine public holidays apply throughout Germany, others only in individual states. Movable holidays such as Good Friday, Whit Monday or Corpus Christi depend on Easter Sunday, which the calculator determines for every year.
Public holidays and where they apply
| Holiday | Date | Applies in |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 01/01 | all states |
| Epiphany | 01/06 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt |
| International Women's Day | 03/08 | Berlin (since 2019); Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (since 2023) |
| Good Friday | 2 days before Easter Sunday | all states |
| Easter Sunday | Easter Sunday | Brandenburg, Hesse |
| Easter Monday | 1 day after Easter Sunday | all states |
| Labour Day | 05/01 | all states |
| Liberation Day | 05/08 | Berlin (only 2020, 2025) |
| Ascension Day | 39 days after Easter Sunday | all states |
| Whit Sunday | 49 days after Easter Sunday | Brandenburg, Hesse |
| Whit Monday | 50 days after Easter Sunday | all states |
| Corpus Christi | 60 days after Easter Sunday | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland |
| Assumption Day | 08/15 | Saarland |
| World Children's Day | 09/20 | Thuringia (since 2019) |
| German Unity Day | 10/03 | all states |
| Reformation Day | 10/31 | Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia; Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein (since 2018) |
| All Saints' Day | 11/01 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland |
| Day of Repentance and Prayer | Wednesday before Nov 23 | Saxony |
| Christmas Day | 12/25 | all states |
| Boxing Day | 12/26 | all states |
Common mistakes and special cases
- Counting the deadline for grounds from the filing date. It runs from the resolution.
- Using the sending date as the date of receipt. The notice period only starts on receipt.
- Void resolutions: nullity can be asserted regardless of the challenge deadline.
- Missing a deadline through no fault of your own: reinstatement is possible (Section 45 sentence 2 WEG with Sections 233 to 238 ZPO). The calculator does not cover it.
- Service: filing the action preserves the deadline if it is served shortly afterwards (Section 167 ZPO). Pay the advance on court fees promptly.
- Meeting running past midnight: the day of the vote counts.