Glossary — Real Estate Terms Made Simple

General

OPR — Ostprignitz-Ruppin: The Ostprignitz-Ruppin district in northern Brandenburg, with Neuruppin as district capital. Around 100,000 inhabitants on roughly 2,500 km² — from Wittstock in the north to Fehrbellin in the south. In our market data and articles, „OPR" refers to the entire region around Neuruppin and the Ruppin Lakelands.
YoY — Year-over-Year: Standard market term meaning „compared with the same point one year ago". Example: „rent up 7.8 % YoY" means rent is 7.8 percent above the previous year's level. We mostly write this out as „compared with the previous year" in plain text.
Cold rent and warm rent — net rent, gross rent (Kaltmiete, Warmmiete): The cold rent (Kaltmiete) is the pure rent for the apartment, without utilities. The warm rent (Warmmiete) adds heating, water, waste collection, and common-area cleaning. Listings and rent indexes almost always quote the cold rent. The gap is typically 2 to 3 € per square metre in Brandenburg.

Property types

EFH — Einfamilienhaus, detached house: A free-standing residential building for one family, on its own plot. Semi-detached houses (Doppelhaushälfte, DHH) and terraced houses (Reihenhaus, RH) are often counted alongside but are not strictly EFH. In market reports the term is mostly used as shorthand for „house for owner-occupation".
ETW — Eigentumswohnung, condominium: A single apartment within a multi-family building, sold as a separate unit (Sondereigentum). The buyer also acquires shares in the plot and the common parts (staircase, roof, boiler room). Governed by the German Condominium Act (WEG).
MFH — Mehrfamilienhaus, apartment building, investment property: A residential building containing several self-contained units — for renting out or for splitting into individual condominiums. Investors also call this a „Zinshaus" (yield property) or „Renditeobjekt".

Prices and taxes

Bodenrichtwert (BRW) — official land value benchmark: The official average price per square metre of land for a specific location. Set by the Expert Committee (Gutachterausschuss) every two years and freely available, parcel by parcel, on boris.brandenburg.de. Forms the basis for the annual property tax and is the standard reference when buying land.
Real-estate transfer tax (GrESt) — Grunderwerbsteuer: The one-off tax due on every property purchase in Germany. Levied on the purchase price, with a rate that differs by federal state: Brandenburg 6.5 percent, Bavaria and Saxony 3.5 percent, Berlin 6.0 percent. The tax authority issues the clearance certificate (Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung) only after payment — and without it there is no entry in the Land Register.
AfA — depreciation for wear and tear (Absetzung für Abnutzung): Tax depreciation for the loss of value of a building — applies only to rented or commercially used properties, not to owner-occupied homes. Standard rate: 2 percent per year (built from 1925) or 2.5 percent for older buildings. Listed historic buildings get higher rates under §§ 7h and 7i Income Tax Act.
Hausgeld — monthly owner contribution, condo fee: The monthly advance payment that condominium owners pay to the property management company. Covers administration, repairs, heating, waste collection, and the maintenance reserve. Average in Brandenburg: 3 to 4.50 € per square metre per month.
Rental deposit (Kaution) — security deposit: Security deposit paid by the tenant at the start of the rental, capped by law at three cold-rent payments (§ 551 BGB). The landlord must hold it separately from their own funds and earn interest on the tenant's behalf. On move-out, the deposit is repaid after any defects are checked — usually within three to six months.

Energy and construction

GEG § 87 — Building Energy Act, energy certificate obligation: The Building Energy Act (Gebäudeenergiegesetz) is the federal law setting energy standards for buildings — in force since 2020, replacing the older EnEV. § 87 GEG requires sellers and landlords to provide a valid energy certificate (Energieausweis) at the viewing and to attach it to the sale or rental contract. Breach is an administrative offence with fines up to 10,000 €.
Effizienzhaus (EH 40, EH 55) — KfW efficiency house standard: KfW efficiency-house tiers. The number describes the building's energy consumption relative to a reference building under the Building Energy Act — lower is better. An EH 40 uses only 40 percent of the energy of a standard new-build, an EH 55 only 55 percent. Required to qualify for most KfW funding programmes.
BEG — Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings (Bundesförderung effiziente Gebäude): Federal funding programme for energy-efficient renovation and new construction. Administered through the KfW (subsidised loans with repayment grants) and BAFA (direct grants for individual measures such as heating replacement). Reformed in 2024 — current conditions should always be checked directly at KfW or BAFA.
KfW — Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (federal development bank): Germany's federal development bank, headquartered in Frankfurt. Provides subsidised loans for home ownership, renovation, and new construction — well-known programmes include „Wohneigentum für Familien" (KfW 300) and the Effizienzhaus scheme (BEG). Applications always run via the buyer's own bank, never directly with the KfW.
ILB — Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (state development bank): Brandenburg's state-owned development bank, based in Potsdam. Complements KfW funding with state-specific programmes — e.g. „Brandenburg-Kredit Wohnungswirtschaft" or modernisation loans. For buyers in Neuruppin often combinable with KfW funding.

Law

Mietpreisbremse — rent cap, § 556d BGB: Legal rule capping the rent on re-letting at no more than 10 percent above the local comparable rent — but only in housing markets officially designated as tight. Does not apply in Neuruppin. The Brandenburg state government has not designated Ostprignitz-Ruppin district a tight market, so landlords can set rents freely at market rates.
Mietspiegel — rent index, comparable local rent: A reference list of comparable local rents, sorted by apartment size, year built, and amenities. Forms the basis for rent increases in ongoing tenancies (§ 558 BGB). Larger cities maintain an official Mietspiegel; Neuruppin itself does not — comparable rents are determined by expert appraisal in disputed cases.
BbgWG — Brandenburg Water Act (Brandenburgisches Wassergesetz): Brandenburg state law governing water protection and shoreline zones. Important for lakefront plots: a 50-metre shoreline strip along Lake Ruppin and other major waters is largely off-limits for development. Jetties, boat houses, and docks need separate permits.
KoaV — coalition agreement (Koalitionsvereinbarung): The political contract between governing parties on planned policies for a parliamentary term. In real estate it usually appears as the source for announced tax or funding reforms — for example the 250,000 € transfer-tax allowance for first-time buyers in the 2025 coalition agreement, which as of May 2026 still has no draft bill.

Local

MHB — Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane: Brandenburg's first private university, founded 2014, with campuses in Neuruppin, Brandenburg an der Havel, and Berlin. Awarded the right to confer doctorates and habilitations in October 2025. A major employer and one of the drivers of rental demand in Neuruppin.
UKRB — Universitätsklinikum Ruppin-Brandenburg: The principal hospital for the region around Neuruppin and the university hospital of MHB. With over 2,000 staff, the largest employer in Ostprignitz-Ruppin district.