In the Cum-Ex tax affair, written records decided what the public learned. The Hamburg banker Christian Olearius kept diaries. Prosecutors seized them in their investigation against him. When entries were published, they revealed meetings with Olaf Scholz, then mayor of Hamburg. Scholz had at first denied the meetings. A review of his calendars later showed that he had received Olearius at city hall, the last time on 10 November 2017. On 30 April 2021 Scholz testified before the investigating committee of the Hamburg parliament. He was asked about what Olearius’s side had argued at the meetings. Zwar könne er dazu aus eigener Erinnerung nichts sagen, he could say nothing about it from his own memory, he said. He denied any influence on the tax decision.
A Will in One’s Own Hand
A German can make a valid will with one sheet of paper and no notary. Section 2247 of the Civil Code allows it. Der Erblasser kann ein Testament durch eine eigenhändig geschriebene und unterschriebene Erklärung errichten. The testator can make a will by a declaration written and signed in his own hand. The law adds that he should state when and where he wrote it, with the day, the month and the year.
The Excuse Note
School law in Germany is state law. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Section 43 of the School Act says what happens when a child is ill. If a pupil cannot come to school because of illness or another unforeseeable reason, so benachrichtigen die Eltern unverzüglich die Schule und teilen schriftlich den Grund für das Schulversäumnis mit. The parents notify the school without delay and give the reason for the absence in writing. Pupils of 18 and over write their own. German families know the note as die Entschuldigung, the excuse.
The Land Register Counts as True
Section 892 of the German Civil Code is headed Öffentlicher Glaube des Grundbuchs, public faith in the land register. For a person who acquires a right to land by contract, gilt der Inhalt des Grundbuchs als richtig, the content of the land register counts as correct. There are two exceptions. Either an objection to the entry has been recorded, or the buyer knows that the entry is wrong. A buyer may therefore rely on what the register says. Buyers also secure their claim in the register before the sale is complete. The notary has an Auflassungsvormerkung, a priority notice, entered for them. The savings banks’ guide explains the effect. Ab diesem Zeitpunkt ist die Käuferseite rechtlich geschützt. From this moment the buyer is protected by law.
The Memory Record
A Gedächtnisprotokoll is a memory record. It is a written account of a conversation or an event, made from memory soon afterward. The career guide Karrierebibel recommends one for the insurance after an accident, for example. It gives a clear rule on timing. Warten Sie nicht ab, bis die Erinnerungen verblassen, sondern schreiben Sie diese sofort auf. Do not wait until the memories fade. Write them down immediately. A form on the website of the University of Münster is meant for documenting an incident in this way. It asks the writer to record nur was tatsächlich gesagt oder getan wurde, ohne Wertungen oder Interpretationen, only what was actually said or done, without judgments or interpretations. Nothing is changed afterward. Ergänzungen fügen Sie als neuen, datierten Eintrag hinzu. Additions go in as a new, dated entry.
“Changes Must Be in Writing”
German contracts often end with a Schriftformklausel, a written-form clause: Änderungen und Ergänzungen dieses Vertrags bedürfen zu ihrer Rechtswirksamkeit der Schriftform. Changes and additions to this contract must be in writing to take effect. Many add a second sentence: the written-form requirement itself can only be lifted in writing. The law sets a limit. An individual agreement takes priority over standard terms, and a simple written-form clause can be waived without writing. In 2008 the Federal Labor Court held a doubled clause in a standard employment contract invalid, because it could mislead employees about the force of oral agreements.
The Acceptance Record
On a German building site under the VOB/B, the standard construction terms, either party can demand a formal acceptance. Eine förmliche Abnahme hat stattzufinden, wenn eine Vertragspartei es verlangt. Both sides walk through the building together. Each may bring an expert. The result is written down, including known defects and the contractor’s objections. Public clients use a standard form, Formblatt Abnahme 442, which both sides sign immediately after the walk-through.
The Workshop Order With a Cost Limit
The automobile club ADAC tells drivers to write down every job in the repair order, together with the completion date. Je genauer der Werkstattauftrag schriftlich formuliert ist, desto besser lassen sich Streitigkeiten vermeiden. The more precisely the order is written, the easier it is to avoid disputes. It also advises setting a written cost limit. A court case shows the limit holding. A customer asked a workshop to find and repair an electrical fault, with an agreed limit of 2,000 euros. The workshop claimed the limit had been raised to 5,000 euros orally. In August 2013 the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe ruled that the customer owed no more than 2,000 euros. A note on the order without his countersignature proved nothing.
Words for Having It in Writing
etwas schriftlich haben — to have something in writing.
Das hätte ich gern schriftlich. — I would like that in writing.
zu Protokoll geben — to put on record.
aktenkundig — on file, a matter of record.
etwas zu den Akten legen — to put something in the files. Duden: etwas als erledigt betrachten, to consider something settled.
Brief und Siegel geben — to give letter and seal. To guarantee.
lückenlos dokumentiert — documented without gaps.
Serviced by the Book
German used-car advertisements often carry the word scheckheftgepflegt. It means that the car has been serviced as its service booklet prescribes. At the end of each inspection the master mechanic signs the booklet and stamps it. A car with a complete record sells for more. The term itself has no clear legal definition.