Makler als Geschäftsbesorger

Civil brokers play a major role in modern commercial transactions, yet they are only rudimentarily regulated in the German Civil Code (BGB). Frank Spohnheimer differentiates between various types of brokers and offers an interpretation based on the law governing agency and management services, thereby resolving deficiencies in brokerage practice.

The German Civil Code (BGB) contains only three general provisions governing the civil brokerage contract (§§ 652-654 BGB), yet these do little to define its contours. This falls short of reflecting the considerable practical importance of brokerage services, particularly in real estate transactions. The result has been undesirable developments in practice. Recent piecemeal legislative interventions, such as the “client pays” principle (Bestellerprinzip), were intended, among other things, to make housing more affordable, but have had only limited success and have created doctrinal inconsistencies. When speaking of the broker or the brokerage contract, one overlooks the fact that civil brokers and commercial brokers perform entirely different functions. Yet even the activities of civil brokers are far from homogeneous: online marketplaces, real estate brokers, and insurance brokers differ significantly from one another. Frank Spohnheimer investigates the causes of dysfunctions in brokerage practice and rethinks brokerage law on the basis of existing legal rules. Where necessary and appropriate, he interprets brokerage contracts as atypical agency contracts (Geschäftsbesorgungsverträge), which entail a duty of subordination to the principal’s interests. On this basis, the study develops a general law of brokerage-related agency contracts and delineates the duties of subordination applicable to the practically most important types of brokers: real estate brokers, insurance brokers, and consumer credit brokers. In doing so, it also provides new impetus for the revival of the commercial broker, a figure that many have already written off as obsolete.

Einführung
Erster Teil: Grundlagen
§ 1 Historische Entwicklung des Maklers und des Maklerwesens
§ 2 Funktionen und Wesen der Maklertätigkeit
§ 3 Vertragstypologische Einordnung
Zweiter Tei: Maklerverträge als atypische Geschäftsbesorgungsverträge
§ 4 Charakteristika von Maklerverträgen
§ 5 Geschäftsbesorgungsrechtliche Deutung von Maklerverträgen
§ 6 Koordinative Geschäftsbesorgung durch Handelsmakler
§ 7 Makler ohne geschäftsbesorgenden Charakter
Dritter Teil: Allgemeines Maklergeschäftsbesorgungsrecht
§ 8 Vertrag, Pflichten, Forderung
§ 9 Subordinationspflichten
§ 10 Vergütung der Geschäftsbesorgung
§ 11 Unabhängigkeit, Neutralität, Interessenkonflikte
Vierter Teil: Besonderes Maklergeschäftsbesorgungsrecht
§ 12 Versicherungsmakler
§ 13 Verbraucherdarlehensmakler
§ 14 Immobilienmakler
Zusammenfassung in Thesen und Ausblick

• By (author) Frank Spohnheimer