The German Bundestag has confirmed a crucial correction made by the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy to the Bureaucracy Reduction Act. The legally enshrined continuing education obligation for residential property managers will remain in force. This decision is explicitly endorsed by the German Association of Property Managers (VDIV Deutschland). The association thanks the parliamentarians for consistently protecting a central quality standard in a sector that is significantly responsible for millions of homes, substantial assets and the residences of countless people.
Martin Kaßler, Managing Director of VDIV Deutschland, commented that bureaucracy reduction should aim at reducing actual additional effort, not at eliminating fundamental standards. He compared the potential abolition of the continuing education obligation to removing a load-bearing wall. Unlike the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Bundestag has recognised that minimum professional standards are not superfluous regulations but rather embody essential aspects of quality assurance, consumer protection and legal certainty.
Significance for property management
Residential property managers act as fiduciaries and bear substantial responsibility. This includes the practical application of over 60 laws and regulations. Management companies are among the few professional groups permitted to provide legal services for third parties according to Section 5 of the Legal Services Act (RDG). This requires up-to-date legal knowledge and supports the necessity of a continuing education obligation as an appropriate standard. Kaßler emphasised that anyone wishing to abolish minimum professional standards in this context misunderstands the reality of the industry. The Bundestag has set a clear limit to this perspective.
The governing coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD voted in favour of retaining the regulation, as did the AfD. The Left Party voted against it, while Bündnis 90/Die Grünen abstained. This vote demonstrates that bureaucracy reduction requires a differentiated approach. Relief is sensible where it genuinely reduces administrative effort. It becomes problematic when it eliminates proven protection mechanisms, thereby generating new, high follow-on costs.
Kaßler further explained that Parliament had carefully examined the situation and not merely adopted a 'demolition plan'. This recognition shows foresight and a realistic understanding of the responsibility of residential property managers. It also demonstrates the strength of the independent mandate of the MPs.
Impact of the decision
Since the original plans of the Federal Government became known, VDIV Deutschland has consistently advocated for the preservation of the continuing education obligation. The parliamentary decision shows that arguments from practical experience were considered in the legislative process. An important distinction was made between unnecessary paperwork and professional responsibility. While the continuing education obligation remains, the formalised official declaration procedure via the previous Annex 3 will be abolished. The retention period for continuing education certificates will also be shortened from five to three years.
This aims to reduce bureaucracy where it actually causes effort, without affecting the professional core of the qualification. Parliament followed the proposals for bureaucracy reduction, which were submitted by, among others, VDIV Deutschland and wohnen im eigentum, as well as other consumer protection organisations. For the real estate industry, this decision represents a strengthening, and for owners, a central protective signal is set. Well-founded legislation distinguishes between burden and benefit, form and function, as well as dead weight and substance. The Bundestag has made this distinction, thereby strengthening quality, legal certainty and consumer protection.
