Estate agents in Germany 2026: a ranking built on verified facts
A ranking of German estate agents (Immobilienmakler), built only on verifiable facts: the permit under section 34c of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO) and the supervisory authority named in the imprint (Impressum), the commercial register entry, professional liability insurance, IVD membership, the consumer dispute body, the commission stated by the agency, listings, the year it started and the number of offices it states. Every fact links to its source with the date we checked it. This is not advice to choose a particular agency. Places are not for sale.
| # | Company | Who it serves | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROHRER Immobilien | 70 | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | 1919 | Not verified | Licence Professional liability insurance Member of a professional body |
| 2 | Mr. Lodge | 68 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | 1993 | Not verified | Licence Fees |
| 3 | Grossmann & Berger | 64 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Licence Member of a professional body Fees |
| 4 | VON POLL IMMOBILIEN | 63 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | Not verified | 400 | Licence Fees |
| 5 | HOMANN IMMOBILIEN | 62 | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | 1979 | Not verified | Licence Member of a professional body |
| 6 | RIEDEL Immobilien | 61 | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | 1982 | Not verified | Licence Professional liability insurance |
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Not verified
- Fees published
- Not verified
- In business since
- 1919
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- States professional liability insurance
- Long track record as an agency
Details Visit site ↗ 70% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Not verified
- Fees published
- Yes
- In business since
- 1993
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Publishes its fees
- Long track record as an agency
Details Visit site ↗ 68% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Not verified
- Fees published
- Yes
- In business since
- Not verified
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Publishes its fees
- Publishes a complaints procedure
Details Visit site ↗ 64% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Not verified
- Fees published
- Yes
- In business since
- Not verified
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- 400
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Publishes its fees
- Large office network
Details Visit site ↗ 63% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Not verified
- Fees published
- Not verified
- In business since
- 1979
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Long track record as an agency
- Publishes a complaints procedure
Details Visit site ↗ 62% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Not verified
- Fees published
- Not verified
- In business since
- 1982
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- States professional liability insurance
- Long track record as an agency
Details Visit site ↗ 61% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Aigner Immobilien (site closed to automated checks, )
- BETTERHOMES Deutschland (53% backed by facts)
- DAHLER (58% backed by facts)
- Engel & Völkers (23% backed by facts)
- Homeday (40% backed by facts)
- McMakler (53% backed by facts)
- PlanetHome (58% backed by facts)
- RE/MAX Germany (site closed to automated checks, )
- Wüstenrot Immobilien (site closed to automated checks, )
Sites marked as closed refuse automated reading (403 error, captcha or a robots.txt ban). We don't bypass such protection, so we can't verify their facts and they are not ranked. This says nothing about their quality. A company can send links to its official pages to [email protected].
How we calculate the Score
40%
Licence and legal entity
Whether the agency meets its country's rule for working as an agent (a broker licence, an entry in the register of agents, membership of a government-approved redress scheme or a trade permit) and whether its website names the legal entity with its registration number.
20%
Client protection
Whether money held for clients is protected by a client money protection scheme or guarantee, whether the agency states professional liability insurance, and whether it belongs to a national professional body with a code of conduct.
20%
Transparency
Whether the agency publishes its own fees (commission, letting or management fees), a complaints procedure with an independent body to turn to, and its property listings on its own website.
20%
Experience
The year the agency started, the number of offices it states itself and the App Store rating of its own app where there is one.
How to choose a real estate agency
Check the licence or register
Find out what your country requires (a broker licence, a register entry, redress scheme membership or a trade permit) and check the agency in the official register or the scheme's member search, not only on its own website.
Find out who you contract with
Many brands are franchise networks: each office is a separate company. Your agreement should name the legal entity, its registration number and address.
Ask about fees in writing
Get the commission or letting fee, what it includes and who pays it in writing before you sign. Compare agencies on the same service, for example full management versus finding a tenant only.
Protect deposits and rent
Do not pay a deposit or rent in cash or to a personal account. Check how the agency protects client money and, for rentals, where the tenant's deposit will be held.
Read the agency agreement
Check how long it lasts, whether it is exclusive, the notice period and any charges if you sell or let without the agency.
Know where to complain
First use the agency's complaints procedure. If that does not help, turn to the redress scheme, the professional body or the authority that issued the licence, and finally to court.
Frequently asked questions
Does an estate agent in Germany need a permit?
Yes. Anyone who brokers contracts for land, commercial premises or homes on a commercial basis needs a permit from the competent authority under section 34c GewO. The permit is refused if the applicant is not reliable or lives in disordered financial circumstances.
Where do I find the permit?
In the agency's imprint (Impressum): it names the permit under section 34c GewO and the supervisory authority, usually the city's trade office or the chamber of commerce (IHK), together with the commercial register number.
Who pays the commission when I buy a home?
Under section 656c of the Civil Code (BGB), if the agent is paid by both the buyer and the seller of a flat or a single-family house, both must pay the same amount. If the agent works for one side free of charge, it cannot ask the other side for a fee either.
Where can I complain about an agent?
First to the agency. Agencies that are members of the IVD can take part in the dispute procedure of the Ombudsmann Immobilien IVD/VPB; whether an agency takes part in consumer dispute resolution is stated in its imprint.