Determining the parification value: when the shares no longer fit

The parification value (Nutzwert) of a unit determines voting weight in the community of owners and the share of costs. It is established in an expert report that reflects the value of a unit in relation to all the others.

Why parification values become outdated

Any structural change can shift the ratio, for instance converting an attic, merging two flats, repurposing a garage or adding a new balcony. If the parification value is left unchanged, owners pay and vote according to a formula that no longer reflects reality.

The route to reassessment

Priority is given to a reassessment agreed by all owners. If that cannot be reached, a court reassessment can be applied for, for instance where the parification values would change by more than a certain proportion or where later building work has substantially altered them. For some grounds, the application must be made within one year, depending on the ground from the registration of the condominium ownership becoming final or from completion of the building work (§ 10 Abs 2 WEG 2002). The procedure is a non-contentious proceeding; the court relies on an expert report.

What this means in practice

For the buyer of an attic flat, whether the parification values already reflect the conversion is a question of price. For the community of owners it is a question of distributive fairness; both are better clarified before the building work than after.