The basic tax is newly regulated

You pay property tax if you own a plot of land or a house. Property tax will change from 2025, with some owners paying more property tax and others paying less. Homeowners can pass on the land tax to tenants via the service charges. This means that from 2025, service charges may increase for some tenants.

Homeowners will receive a new notice in January 2025. They will then find out how high their property tax is. Tenants can then ask their landlord whether the service charges will change.

Why is the property tax being revised? This was decided by the Federal Constitutional Court. This is the highest court in Germany. It says that similar properties and houses must be treated equally. The way land tax is currently calculated is not fair. The value of land is not properly taken into account. The value has often changed since 1964. Some people have had to pay too much tax. This is set to change in the future. In Hesse, from 2025 the amount of property tax will be calculated according to the size and location of a piece of land or house. This means that old and new houses will be treated similarly.

House owners will pay the property tax to the city. The city of Offenbach does not want to earn more money with the new property tax. However, the city has had more expenses since this year. Prices are rising. That is why the city is making savings. It wants to avoid further costs for its citizens. It is therefore possible that the property tax will rise in future.

Information on the new basic tax can be found on the Internet at: www.offenbach.de/grundsteuer. The page is not in plain language.