Preliminary building inquiry before purchasing property okay, can this information be trusted?

Hello... We are about to purchase a plot of land. Before us, people were already interested in this plot and applied for a preliminary building inquiry at the district two years ago.
The following can be derived from this preliminary building decision: 1.1.1 The planned project must, according to §34 paragraph 1 of the Building Code, fit into the character of the immediate surroundings in terms of the type and extent of land use, construction method, and the ground area to be built over, especially with regard to the height classification in relation to the top edge of the ground floor floor level (OK EG FF), top edge of the street (OK Straße), and existing neighboring buildings.
1.1.2 The planned building project must fit into the character of the immediate surroundings regarding the number of full stories (1 full story with developed attic).

Today we went to the building authority of the city and presented our building style. It should be a city villa with 2 full stories and a hipped roof. The responsible officer told us that he has no problem with erecting a city villa there. Can this be trusted? What is the best way to proceed now? We are afraid that after purchasing the plot and submitting the building application to the higher authority, the "city villa building style" will be rejected.

Regards Martin

Hello maddin,

the solution is simple: submit a building inquiry with your planning. If it is approved, you are allowed to build – if not, you have it in black and white and must/can revise your plans. The costs for a building inquiry must be seen in comparison to a failed building application – which is the significantly more expensive and also possible option here.

Of course, you can also trust the official, who will generally be correct. However, if other authorities need to be consulted (which is difficult to verify from a distance), you run a residual risk. A previous building inquiry could also be helpful if it includes a similar planning.

Best regards Dirk Grafe

As far as I know, anyone can submit a preliminary building inquiry. That means you don’t need a finished plan from the architect.

Sorry, wrong button: You don't need a finished plan from the architect, you can also submit a handwritten plan. The important things are the shapes, heights, and areas. Then the responsible authority can immediately decide whether it is realistic.

Hello Martin,

sorry, I don’t see it quite as relaxed as my predecessors.

We are currently right in the middle of an approval process according to §34 - so we have dealt extensively with the matter.

You quote above from the response to the last preliminary building inquiry

(1 full floor with converted attic) .

- That does not quite reconcile with your plans for a two-story city villa with a hipped roof...

If the building authority of the district has the final say, in my opinion, the city official can say a lot, but the decision is ultimately made at the district...

In your place, before taking the risk of owning a property that I am not allowed to develop as desired, I would also take the route of my own preliminary building inquiry.

Regards,

Dirk

Thank you very much in advance... We do not have an architect yet, would it be sufficient to include a picture of the building style (city villa) with our own preliminary building inquiry, or should we contact an architect... He will certainly have good and better arguments and experience in the formulation...