Property manager not responding? 5 steps for owners

Your third email about the damp patch in the stairwell has gone unanswered, the phone only plays a recorded message, and last year's annual statement still hasn't arrived. Waiting costs time, and when the common property is damaged, every week costs money.

This guide shows what you can do as a condominium owner when your property manager does not respond: which step fits which situation, how to build pressure through a deadline, the advisory board and the owners' meeting, who your claims are actually against, and when changing manager is the right move. Three templates are included that you can adapt directly.

What can you do when the property manager does not respond?Link to this section

Write to the manager with a specific deadline and keep a record of every attempt to reach them. If nothing happens, involve the advisory board (Verwaltungsbeirat) and request an owners' meeting where the association can resolve on an instruction, a formal warning or the manager's dismissal. If the common property faces imminent damage, you may arrange the necessary emergency measures yourself (§ 18(3) WEG).

The usual route has five stages:

Written request: state the issue, your previous enquiries and a deadline of about two weeks.
Advisory board: the chair speaks for the association and sets a final deadline.
Request a meeting: more than a quarter of the owners can demand that a meeting be called (§ 24(2) WEG).
Resolve: an instruction, a formal warning or dismissal, which is possible at any time (§ 26(3) WEG).
Court: an action against the owners' association, not against the manager.

Tired of waiting for answers? Ask Ralph for a no-obligation quote for your association.

Is the association's manager actually responsible?Link to this section

Before you escalate, check who is responsible. The association's manager (WEG-Verwaltung) looks after the common property: roof, façade, stairwell, pipes up to the branch into your flat, the heating system, insurance, service charges and the annual statement. Anything that belongs to your own unit (Sondereigentum) is not their job.

Common misunderstandings:

A fault inside your flat: a dripping tap or a damaged floor is the owner's responsibility. Our article on common property explains where the line runs.
A rented-out flat: tenant changes, the tenants' utility bill and defects inside the flat are handled by a separate property management service or by you, not by the association's manager. It is often the same company, but a different contract.
A dispute with a neighbour: the manager does not mediate private conflicts. They only need to act where the house rules or the common property are concerned.

If the manager is responsible and still does not respond, follow the plan below.

How quickly does a property manager have to reply?Link to this section

There is no statutory response time. What counts is the management contract, which often sets office hours, emergency availability and processing times. Read it before you set a deadline: a breach of promised response times is a strong argument later.

Urgent matters are clearer. The manager must take the measures needed to meet a deadline or avert a disadvantage (§ 27(1) no. 2 WEG). A burst pipe in the basement or a heating failure in winter cannot wait for next week's office hours.

Which step fits your situation?Link to this section

Not every silence is the same. Each situation has its own legal basis and its own first step.

Emergency: damage is imminent

Every owner may, without the others' consent, take the measures needed to avert damage directly threatening the common property (§ 18(3) WEG). That means turning off the water, calling an emergency service or having a leak sealed temporarily. A full repair is not included. Photograph the damage with the time, inform the manager and the advisory board in writing and keep all invoices. As a rule you can claim the costs of a justified emergency measure from the association, so limit yourself to what stops the damage.

An enquiry or damage report is ignored

This is the most common case. Start with stage 1, the written request with a deadline. Send it by email and, if you need proof of delivery, also by registered post.

A resolution is not carried out

Say the meeting resolved to repair the roof, but months later nothing has happened. Since the 2020 reform, your claim to have resolutions carried out is against the association, not the manager (Federal Court of Justice, BGH, 16.12.2022, V ZR 263/21). In practice: involve the advisory board, pass an instruction with a deadline at the next meeting and have the progress minuted. The collection of resolutions shows which resolutions apply.

The annual statement or budget is missing

The manager must draw up a budget (Wirtschaftsplan) for each calendar year and, after it ends, an annual statement (§ 28(1) and (2) WEG), plus an asset report (§ 28(4) WEG). The law sets no fixed date; the management contract often does. If the annual statement is missing for a long time, that is a strong reason for a formal warning or dismissal.

No owners' meeting takes place

The manager must call a meeting at least once a year (§ 24(1) WEG). If more than a quarter of the owners demand a meeting in text form, stating purpose and reasons, the manager must call it (§ 24(2) WEG). If the manager refuses in breach of duty, the chair of the advisory board, their deputy or an owner authorised by resolution may call it instead (§ 24(3) WEG). How to prepare an extraordinary owners' meeting is covered in a separate article.

You are refused access to documents

Every owner can demand access to the management records: contracts, invoices, bank statements and minutes (§ 18(4) WEG). List the documents you want to see in your letter and suggest two dates.

The escalation plan: from the first letter to dismissalLink to this section

Allow about six to eight weeks from the first letter to a resolution on dismissal. The longest part is the notice period for the meeting, which should as a rule be at least three weeks (§ 24(4) WEG).

Stage 1: document and write (week 0)

Keep a log: date, channel, content and reply for each enquiry. Then send a factual letter with a specific deadline. Two weeks is reasonable for ordinary matters, less for damage.

Template: request with deadline

Dear Sir or Madam, on [date] and [date] I informed you about [issue, e.g. damp on the ceiling of the stairwell, 2nd floor]. I have not received a reply. Please let me know by [date, about 14 days] which steps you have taken and by when the matter will be resolved. A copy of this letter goes to the advisory board. Yours faithfully, [name, flat]

Stage 2: involve the advisory board (week 2)

The advisory board supports and supervises the manager (§ 29(2) WEG). Towards the manager, the chair represents the association (§ 9b(2) WEG). A letter from the board therefore carries more weight than one from you alone. Ask the board to set the manager a final short deadline and to put the issue on the next agenda. If there is no board, team up with other owners.

Stage 3: request a meeting (weeks 3 to 4)

Collect signatures from more than a quarter of the owners. They are counted per head, not by ownership shares.

Template: demand for an owners' meeting under § 24(2) WEG

Dear Sir or Madam, the undersigned owners of the association at [address] demand that an owners' meeting be called. Purpose: resolutions on [e.g. carrying out the roof repair resolved on (date), a formal warning to the manager, dismissal of the manager and appointment of a new manager]. Reasons: [short account with the dates of unanswered enquiries]. Please send the invitation within two weeks. [Names, flats, signatures]

If the manager ignores this too, the advisory board calls the meeting (§ 24(3) WEG). Our article on the notice period for owners' meetings explains the deadlines.

Stage 4: resolve on an instruction, warning or dismissal (weeks 6 to 8)

The association has three levers, depending on how serious things are:

Instruction with a deadline: for example "The manager commissions the roof repair by 30 November and reports to the advisory board in writing."
Formal warning: records the breaches of duty and announces consequences. It is not a legal requirement for dismissal, but it makes a later decision easier to follow.
Dismissal: the association can dismiss the manager at any time by simple majority, without cause. The management contract ends no later than six months afterwards (§ 26(3) WEG). See our articles on dismissing the manager and on how to terminate the property management.

Template: motion to dismiss

The owners resolve to dismiss [name of the management company] as manager with effect from [date]. The chair of the advisory board is authorised to terminate the management contract and to demand the handover of all documents.

Before that meeting, get two or three quotes from new managers so that dismissal and appointment can be resolved in the same session. An association without a manager is represented by all owners jointly (§ 9b(1) WEG), which rarely works in practice. Our guide to changing the manager in a WEG covers the handover.

Stage 5: legal action

Every owner can demand proper management from the association (§ 18(2) WEG). If the meeting refuses a necessary decision, the court can make the resolution on application (action to substitute a resolution, § 44(1) WEG). The action is brought against the association (§ 44(2) WEG). A single owner can also enforce dismissal in court, but only if keeping the manager is no longer defensible (BGH, 25.02.2022, V ZR 65/21). Take legal advice before going to court. Other places to turn to are listed in our article on the complaints office for property managers.

Who are your claims against?Link to this section

Against the owners' association (GdWE), not the manager. This surprises many owners, but it follows from the 2020 reform: management of the common property is the association's task (§ 18(1) WEG), and the manager acts as its body.

The Federal Court of Justice has confirmed this twice. The duty to carry out resolutions lies with the association (BGH, 16.12.2022, V ZR 263/21). And the management contract no longer protects individual owners directly: if you suffer a loss because the manager breaches their duties, you claim compensation from the association, which is liable for the manager's conduct (BGH, 05.07.2024, V ZR 34/24). The association can then seek recourse from the manager.

For you this means: enforce claims together through the advisory board and the meeting, and document losses carefully, for example damp damage in your flat caused by a delayed roof repair.

Is a property manager committing a criminal offence by not responding?Link to this section

No, inaction alone is not a criminal offence. It is a breach of duty that can lead to damages, a formal warning or dismissal. It becomes criminal when the manager abuses their power over the association's funds or breaches their duty to look after those funds and the association suffers a loss as a result, for instance by dipping into the maintenance reserve. That is breach of trust (Untreue, § 266 StGB). If the manager suddenly cannot be reached at all and the account is empty, read our article on an insolvent property management company.

What can landlords and tenants do?Link to this section

Tenants have a contract with their landlord, not with the association's manager. They therefore report defects to the landlord, without delay (§ 536c BGB). The landlord must keep the flat in a condition fit for its contractual use (§ 535(1) BGB). If its fitness is reduced, the rent is reduced by law (§ 536 BGB). If the landlord is in default with the repair, tenants may have the defect fixed themselves and claim the necessary costs (§ 536a(2) BGB). Get advice, for example from a tenants' association, before reducing the rent.

Landlords are caught in the middle. If the defect lies in the common property, such as a leaking roof, you are liable to your tenants even if the association's manager does nothing. Report the damage to the manager in writing straight away, set a short deadline and work through the stages above quickly. A dedicated rental management service takes over communication with tenants and the pressure on the association's manager for you.

Frequently asked questions about a property manager who does not respondLink to this section

May I hire a tradesperson myself?

Only if the common property faces imminent damage, and only for the necessary emergency measure (§ 18(3) WEG). Repairs that can wait are decided by the association. If you commission work without an emergency, you risk paying for it yourself.

Can I dismiss the manager as a single owner?

No, dismissal is a decision of the association. You can put it on the agenda and, if keeping the manager is objectively no longer defensible, enforce it in court (BGH, 25.02.2022, V ZR 65/21).

Does the property manager have to be reachable at weekends?

No law requires it. Many management contracts include an emergency number for water damage, heating failure or storm damage. If yours says nothing about it, the association should settle this at the next renewal or when changing manager.

Is a manager who does not respond grounds for termination without notice?

Since 2020 you no longer need a good reason: dismissal is possible at any time, and the contract ends no later than six months later (§ 26(3) WEG). Whether the contract ends immediately because of serious breaches depends on the individual case. Documented, repeated inaction despite deadlines strengthens your position.

How do I find a manager who is easier to reach?

Ask specific questions when you request quotes: channels, response times, emergency number, online access to documents and named contacts. Get the answers in writing and into the contract. Our article on finding a property manager has a checklist, and property management fees gives an overview of costs.

Methodology and sourcesLink to this section

Condominium Act (WEG) (accessed 27.10.2026): § 9b (representation), § 18 (proper management, emergency measures, access to records), § 24 (calling meetings, notice), § 26 (dismissal), § 27 (manager's duties), § 28 (budget, annual statement, asset report), § 29 (advisory board), § 44 (actions concerning resolutions).
German Civil Code (BGB) (accessed 27.10.2026): §§ 535, 536, 536a, 536c on defects in rented flats.
Criminal Code, § 266 breach of trust (accessed 27.10.2026).
BGH, judgment of 16.12.2022, V ZR 263/21: carrying out resolutions is the association's task.
BGH, judgment of 05.07.2024, V ZR 34/24: the management contract does not protect individual owners; claims lie against the association.
BGH, judgment of 25.02.2022, V ZR 65/21: a single owner's claim to have the manager dismissed.
The six-to-eight-week timeline is our own estimate based on the deadlines above, not a legal requirement.

Have you met Ralph?Link to this section

Ralph manages more than 10,000 units in Germany. Owners can reach us online and by phone, documents are available online, and we answer 80% of all enquiries within 24 hours. Find out more on our WEG management page.

If your association is thinking about a change, we support you from the meeting to the handover. See how it works under switching property manager, or request a no-obligation quote.