Beschränkte Steuerpflicht
Limited tax liability for non-residents on German-sourced income.
§49 EStG
Beschränkte Steuerpflicht applies to individuals who are not resident in Germany but have German-sourced income. For real-estate owners, this means German rental income is taxed in Germany at German rates, without the Grundfreibetrag. Double-taxation treaties usually credit German tax against home-country tax.