Constantly making the same mistakes in the building application - stupidity or intent?

Exceed rear building boundary by 2m. 200 euros, approved.

are these people just too stupid and can't manage the simplest things?

After you joined the civil servant bashing thread too late, is it now supposed to be against the architects? Since you have become a bit more specific here, the floor area ratio is my favorite topic and the surveyors may be spared from the bashing wave, here is explanation number four: For smaller standard construction projects, students or career starters are often employed for the building application, whose professional experience is not sufficient for the quite complicated topics such as floor area ratio and setback areas. Then there is no time for a check by experienced employees.

For smaller standard construction projects, students or career starters are often assigned to submit building applications, whose professional experience is not sufficient for the quite complicated topics such as floor area ratio and setback areas. There is then no time for a review by experienced employees.

This is also my observation, somewhat understandable to a certain extent, yet as the client I pay the fee (usually not the minimum rate) and consider the claim to appropriate, quality work justified. If the service is not delivered, where does the claim to the full fee come from? By the way, it was pretty much the same with us: a newbie/bachelor fresh from university was totally overwhelmed, introduced a mass of errors, miscalculated setback areas, made lots of spelling mistakes, and submitted incomplete documents to the building authority. The experienced architect hardly had time to review everything but still demanded three-quarters of the fee. That can certainly cause some resentment. Since the approval is not on our critical path and the experienced architect is otherwise worth every cent, always there for us, and takes time calmly until our questions are answered, I don’t want to be overly picky and overestimate this point. However, I told him exactly that and that I expect and demand different diligence in execution and detailed planning. He agreed with that as well...

Maybe it's acceptable for a beginner to make a calculation error right at the start. You have to learn from something after all.

But a ton of spelling mistakes as a BA? Or in other words: As the holder of a high school diploma?

These are rhetorical questions, as I know this from university teaching. Still, it's astonishing what you don't need to be able to do nowadays to get the highest school leaving certificate in the country. Writing correctly, for example. Certainly an overrated skill...

Since when does a BA degree require the Abitur?

And even if so, the BA probably didn’t exist in linguistics.

If even the elite of the German language (in the sense of tax journalists) are not able to print error-free reports despite editorial review, what do you expect?

And yes, I find it terrible.

And a concluding word related to the topic: I think it’s good that interns and entry-level employees create such works, but as an employer I have to ensure that mistakes are at my expense, not the customer’s. In other words: I or someone I assign with the necessary expertise must check and return the errors for correction to the learner. This works elsewhere as well.

You*, who master German flawlessly and whose knowledge has fallen into your lap perfectly from the start of school and who never had to learn or make mistakes, may now continue commenting.

*Whoever that may be!

Usually you need the Abi for university. Without Abi, as far as I know, it's only open for professionals with a master craftsman certificate? I might be mistaken.

Furthermore, knowledge has not just fallen into anyone's lap; it was taught and learned. Writing texts full of mistakes is the privilege of young students, but (actually) not of young people with 12 years of schooling + 5-6 semesters of study. Completing 15 years of education that has to be presented in written form – and then many mistakes?

It's all fine if career starters create something like that and mistakes beyond vocabulary choice can happen.

But with the specific topic of spelling, the root lies much deeper, and that simply does not reflect well on the schools. Universities and later employers have to deal with what was messed up here. And that should not be the case.