A building encumbrance is a declaration of obligation under public law in which you as the owner undertake to do, tolerate or refrain from doing something on your property. The building encumbrance becomes legally effective when it is entered in the register of building encumbrances at the lower building supervisory authority.

Building encumbrances can affect the value or usability of a property. It is therefore advisable to find out whether a property is encumbered with one or more building encumbrances before purchasing a property, for example. The competent authority will provide you with information from the register of building encumbrances - but only if you can prove a legitimate interest. An extract from the register can be provided on request.