Berlin (dpa/tmn) - Anyone who buys an old building and rents it out for residential purposes can write off the acquisition costs against tax. The tax office recognizes 2 percent annually. For buildings completed before 1925, the rate is 2.5 percent.
This is because the law assumes a useful life of 50 or 40 years for a building. If the actual useful life is shorter, however, faster depreciation with higher depreciation rates can be applied for at the tax office. "But the requirements are strict, and the proof of the shorter useful life must be provided by the homeowner," explains Isabel Klocke from the Taxpayers' Association.
She refers to a ruling by the Düsseldorf Tax Court. According to this, the proof is possible with an expert opinion (Ref.: 3 K 3307/16 F). What is legally disputed is what kind of expert opinion it must be.