The income approach (Ertragswertverfahren) is the standard method for valuing rented property in Germany: the value is derived not from comparable prices but from the sustainably achievable rental income. Our calculator implements the method in simplified form and provides a first well-founded estimate of what an investment property is economically worth — as an orientation, not a substitute for a formal appraisal under the ImmoWertV valuation ordinance.
How to use this calculator
The method separates the value of land and building:
- Step 1: Enter the monthly net cold rent — for existing properties, the sustainable market rent.
- Step 2: Enter the annual operating costs not recoverable from tenants (management, maintenance, rent default risk) — as a rule of thumb 20 to 25% of the annual rent.
- Step 3: Enter the standard land value (Bodenrichtwert) and plot area. Land values are published by the local valuation committees, usually via the state's BORIS portal.
- Step 4: Choose the capitalization rate (usually 2 to 5% for residential) and the building's remaining useful life.
Understanding the results
The income value is composed of the land value and the capitalized building income:
- Land value: standard land value times plot area — the value of the land, which unlike the building is not subject to wear.
- Annual net operating income: annual net cold rent minus non-recoverable operating costs.
- Multiplier: the capitalization factor from the capitalization rate and remaining useful life — the longer the remaining life and the lower the rate, the higher the factor.
- Building income value: the net income adjusted for the return on land value, times the multiplier.
- Income value: building income value plus land value — the property's total economic value.
What the simplified method does — and does not do
For investors, the income value is the economically most honest valuation figure because it is tied directly to income rather than asking prices. If the asking price is well above the calculated income value, you are paying for hope of appreciation — if it is below, a closer look may pay off. However, our calculator simplifies the standardized ImmoWertV procedure in several respects: it works with lump-sum operating costs instead of a detailed breakdown, without premiums and discounts for property-specific features (maintenance backlog, heritage protection, leasehold) and without market adjustment. The results are also sensitive to the capitalization rate: half a percentage point changes the value considerably. Use regional capitalization rates from the valuation committees and treat the result as a range, not a point value.
Tips
- •Standard land values are available free of charge in the federal states' BORIS portals; the valuation committees also publish regional capitalization rates.
- •Use the sustainable market rent, not an inflated current rent — otherwise the income value is skewed upwards.
- •Compare the income value with the asking price: large deviations in either direction are a signal to look more closely.