Development costs before purchasing land - who pays?

Hello everyone,

it's starting for us now too :)
First, we want to buy a plot of land. We have already found one. According to the owner, it has been fully developed since 2012 and most of the houses in the development area are already standing.

The city has confirmed to me that the water / wastewater are already paid for. Other development costs from the city are also paid. Now it’s about the connections on the property. Gas / electricity / telecom are installed. The owner claims that the costs are already paid. I have not yet received any information from the municipal utilities.

Can you generally tell me how it works? Are gas / electricity / telecom billed directly to the owner of the property after installation (they lie 3 meters inside the property boundary) or do I have to pay as soon as I start building? So far, I assumed that I have to bear the costs from the transfer point on the property to the house.

Thank you very much.

You pay the CONNECTION costs to the house, basically plugging into the building services... since the house is not yet built, the connections cannot have been paid for yet. The fees can be inquired about from the utility providers. Many confuse development and connection or supply. This is also called internal or external development. Anyway... :)

Good morning,

the connections to the house are clear. The lines (Gas / Electricity / Telecom) are located 3 meters behind the curb on the property. I was concerned about the costs of these 3 meters. Have these already been paid by the current owner or will I have to pay the costs if I extend from the transfer point further to the house?

I hope I was able to describe it somewhat clearly.
Thank you.

If the previous owner claims it was paid, then have them show you the invoices for it and that's that. For us, there were flat rates – so whether it was 3 meters on the property or from the street – this always fell under "Anschlusskosten" in the flat rate.

The connection costs always include a few meters flat rate (so the digging and the cables). I think about 12.5 meters up to the connection point.

The connection costs always include a few meters flat rate (so the digging and the lines). I think about 12.5 meters up to the connection point.

However, there are also water and energy suppliers who differentiate (in terms of costs) whether the surface is paved or not. It is also advisable to ask precisely to avoid nasty surprises.