German Court Reviews Family's Fight to Save Home After Auction Error

The Bundesgerichtshof will decide in March whether a Brandenburg family must vacate their home, built on a property acquired in a flawed auction process.

The dispute centers on a property in Rangsdorf, Brandenburg, purchased by the family in 2010 during a forced auction later deemed invalid due to a judicial error.
The original owner, unaware of the auction at the time, successfully reclaimed ownership in court, claiming insufficient efforts were made to locate him beforehand.
A 2023 ruling by the Brandenburg court ordered the family to demolish their home, vacate the property, and pay additional costs, but the family appealed to the Bundesgerichtshof.
Preliminary opinions from the Bundesgerichtshof suggest the family may not be required to bear the demolition costs or erase the mortgage but could lose the property.
The family may seek compensation from the state of Brandenburg under liability laws for damages caused by the judicial error, with discussions of an out-of-court settlement ongoing.