Electric power lines - Where am I allowed to drill?

Hello, I am a complete layman: But how do you know where you are allowed to drill, for example, in ceilings for lamp holders or in walls for pictures - if you have acquired an existing property from 2016? According to VDE, the electrician should have installed their cables 30cm above the floor/under the ceiling. But if the power cable for a lamp is hanging vertically down in the middle of the ceiling - how do I know where I can drill without hitting the cable? Tips and tricks?

Buy a proper cable detector. The rest is hoping and believing that the craftsman did it correctly.

I am of the opinion that there are no rules for the ceiling. You can lay the cable there however you want. If you want to drill into the ceiling, then look where the switch is mounted. From the switch, a line usually goes up to the ceiling and from there directly towards the outlet.

Cable locator. The rest is luck. Electricians certainly don't always follow the standards. Ask previous owners if they might still have the plan, provided one was ever created. Our electrical system was made brand new in 2017, and even then not all cables run as you would expect.

Regardless of whether the electrician follows the rules, there should be no problems with wiring in the ceiling, as long as you don't go 10 or 15cm deep there.

Regardless of whether the electrician follows the rules, there should be no problems with pipes in the ceiling, as long as you don't go 10 or 15 cm deep.

Not every ceiling is automatically made of concrete..