How is the terrace area calculated?

Hello,

we looked at a house with a "terrace" - that is simply a roughly gravelled square in front of the living room including an air shaft from the basement. It is listed as 20 sqm in the floor plan.
When is a terrace considered a terrace?

Thanks in advance!

When is a terrace a terrace?

When it can be used as a terrace. There are no specifications whether gravel, paving, or wood. Depending on the calculation method, it is considered differently in the living area (between 25% and 100%).

So if there is not a concrete slab hidden under the gravel, this is of course not a terrace. It must have a solid floor covering and be suitable for placing chairs and tables (Landgericht Landau, file number 1 S 67/14).

Funny what people think they can come up with in the name of marketing in terms of euphemisms.

Are you sure? Gravel is not a solid floor covering, is it?

Do you want to buy or rent the house?

At least one court has justified it that way.

The court referred to the legal definition of a terrace. It is understood as a ground-level area that is "exclusively assigned to an adjoining living space, equipped with a solid floor covering, and suitable for placing tables and chairs."

This was about rent reduction.

So if there is no concrete slab hidden under the gravel, this is of course not a terrace. It must have a solid floor covering and be suitable for setting up chairs and tables (Landgericht Landau, case number 1 S 67/14).

Funny what people think they can come up with in the name of marketing by using euphemisms.

That is also my feeling, thank you!