en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCrgerliches_Gesetzbuch
1 correction found
Only once this second agreement is formed, the buyer acquires ownership of the purchased property.
For movable property under § 929 BGB, ownership normally passes only with both agreement and delivery; the transfer agreement alone is not generally enough.
Full reasoning
This sentence overstates how title passes under the BGB.
For movable property, the governing rule is § 929 BGB (Einigung und Übergabe / Agreement and delivery). The statute says that transferring ownership requires both:
- agreement that ownership is to pass, and
- delivery of the thing to the acquirer.
The statute then gives a narrow exception: if the acquirer is already in possession of the thing, agreement alone is sufficient.
So the post's statement is incorrect as a general rule. Forming the second agreement does not by itself make the buyer owner in the ordinary case; delivery is also required unless the buyer already possesses the item.
This matters because the BGB's separation between the sales contract (§ 433) and the transfer of ownership (§ 929) is not just "contract vs. second agreement." For movables, § 929 makes ownership transfer depend on agreement plus delivery (subject to the possession exception).
2 sources
- § 929 BGB - Einzelnorm
Zur Übertragung des Eigentums an einer beweglichen Sache ist erforderlich, dass der Eigentümer die Sache dem Erwerber übergibt und beide darüber einig sind, dass das Eigentum übergehen soll. Ist der Erwerber im Besitz der Sache, so genügt die Einigung über den Übergang des Eigentums.
- German Civil Code BGB
Section 929 Agreement and delivery ... Section 433 Contractual duties typical for a purchase agreement