There are conversations after which you feel reassured. And there are conversations after which you think: It's a good thing we talked about it - before things get serious.
This interview clearly belongs to the second category.
Achim Amann talks to David Gajda and Peet Hopfengart, tax consultants of the newly founded law firm B4TX, The following is about precisely those topics where property owners, buyers and heirs often make the wrong assumptions. Not out of carelessness - but because many things sound plausible, feel logical and yet are wrong from a tax perspective.
The framework is deliberately not a specialised seminar. It is an open discussion based on practical experience: from the perspective of an internationally active brokerage company and from the perspective of two tax consultants who deal with real cases, real figures and real consequences on a daily basis.
Who talks to each other here
Black Label Immobilien has been assisting buyers and owners of special residential properties in Berlin for years. Many clients live abroad, invest in the Berlin market out of conviction or own property that has grown over decades - often linked to family, tax and international issues.
David Gajda and Peet Hopfengart add the fiscal reality to this perspective:
Peet Hopfengart has experience from the tax office and knows the mindset of the administration.
David Gajda specialises in structuring, international tax law and litigation.
Both are united by a clear approach:
Don't react when it's too late - understand, what should be decided beforehand.
Three topics that are repeatedly underestimated
1. the 10-year deadline - and why it is not a sentimental issue
Hardly any other term is as widespread and at the same time as abbreviated as the so-called Speculation period. The conversation makes it clear:
The decisive factor is not how long you „felt“ you were the owner, but the notarised contract.
Conversions, refurbishments or structural interventions can change the tax classification.
Political discussions about a possible abolition are no substitute for planning.
The costly mistake: trusting that „it will all work out“.
2. international owners and the misconception of double security
A common phrase in conversations with foreign owners is:
„I pay tax on it in my home country.“
The interview shows why precisely this sentence is problematic:
Real estate is generally taxed there, where they lie - in this case in Germany.
German rules also apply to people who are not resident here.
Notaries, tax offices and international information exchange agreements ensure that sales and rental income do not remain invisible.
Particularly relevant: Even if Germany no longer has access, the home country can react for tax purposes. Tax exemption is not automatic - and certainly not international.
3. inheritance and gifts - when a lack of planning becomes expensive
The conversation makes it very clear why inheritance tax is rarely a problem for the wealthy, but often one for the unprepared.
Topics include:
Allowances and their 10-year logic
Organisation options such as right of residence or usufruct
The so-called family home - and why the tax authorities scrutinise it extremely strictly
A recurring motif: many mistakes are not the result of ignorance, but of procrastination.
Play it safe with our experts!
We have been working with lawyers, financial experts and law firms from a wide range of fields for many years. Anyone interested in buying, selling, financing, refinancing, etc. will sooner or later need specialists with many years of expertise.
Fringe issues that are not fringe issues
Incidentally - but by no means incidentally - it is also about:
The new property tax and its categorisation
the Real estate transfer tax as a political and economic brake
Depreciation, refurbishment, 15-% rule and remaining useful life appraisal
These are all points that can quickly have a five- or six-figure impact in practice.
Why this conversation is worthwhile
This interview does not provide any patent remedies.
It does not replace individual counselling.
But it creates something else - and that is often more decisive:
a realistic understanding of where assumptions end and tax reality begins.
If you own, buy, sell or bequeath property - especially internationally - you will recognise yourself in many examples.
And that is precisely why it is worth watching or listening to this conversation.
Not to know everything.
But to recognise the costly mistakes, before they arise.
