Grundbuch (land register) – Registration of easements

If you grant another person the right to use your property or the building on it — for example as a right of way, a passage, for laying pipes or cables, or for living there — you can have these rights and obligations recorded in the Grundbuch (land register) as a Dienstbarkeit (easement). This also applies if you commit not to carry out certain uses of your property, for example operating a petrol station. It likewise applies if you must tolerate restrictions, for example noise from a playground. If this right is held by the owner of another property, it is recorded as a Grunddienstbarkeit (easement in favor of a property). For other beneficiaries (e.g. utility companies), it is recorded in the land register as a beschränkte persönliche Dienstbarkeit (limited personal easement). A special form is Nießbrauch (usufruct), under which former owners often reserve full use of the property or the dwelling for themselves.