A joint office is to ensure that tasks are carried out on a permanent basis and in accordance with the law.
The Märkisch-Oderland district and the independent city of Frankfurt (Oder) intend to work more closely together in future in the field of cadastral and surveying services. On 20 August 2026, a public-law agreement to this effect was signed by Gernot Schmidt, District Administrator of the Märkisch-Oderland district, and Dr Strasser, Lord Mayor of the city of Frankfurt (Oder).
The agreement lays the foundations for a joint office for the two land registry authorities. The aim is to ensure, on a permanent basis and in a legally secure manner, the statutory professional management of the land registry authorities and to deploy existing specialist staff even more efficiently in future.
The cooperation is driven in particular by the growing shortage of skilled staff and demographic change within the surveying sector. The professional qualifications required to head a cadastral authority under Section 27(2) of the Brandenburg Surveying Act are difficult to find on the labour market. In the Märkisch-Oderland district, the relevant management post has been vacant since April 2025.
Since then, the City of Frankfurt (Oder) has ensured that the relevant tasks are carried out through administrative assistance. The cooperation agreement now reached is intended to put this previous interim solution on a permanent organisational and legal footing.
The agreement under public law is based on the Act on Municipal Cooperation in the State of Brandenburg. Both local authorities will remain independent land registry authorities. Tasks and responsibilities will not be transferred. However, the technical tasks will in future be consolidated within a joint organisational unit. Staff from both administrations will work together under a joint technical management team, which will be provided by the City of Frankfurt (Oder).
District Administrator Gernot Schmidt stated on the occasion of the signing: “The shortage of skilled workers does not spare public administrations either. That is why, where it makes sense and is legally possible, we must work together across administrative boundaries. In Frankfurt (Oder), we have found a reliable partner. We are thus creating a lasting and legally sound solution, safeguarding important specialist knowledge and, at the same time, ensuring that citizens and businesses can continue to rely on an efficient land registry authority in the future.”
Lord Mayor Dr Strasser explains: “This agreement is a good example of how local authority cooperation can be put into practice to pool specialist expertise and work in a cost- and resource-efficient manner. Both our local authorities, as well as the public, stand to benefit from this pooling of expertise. I am delighted that we can now deepen our excellent cooperation with the Märkisch-Oderland district through this joint office. With this joint service centre, we are creating reliable structures for the years to come.”
Through this cooperation, both local authorities are jointly addressing the growing challenges of attracting highly qualified professionals. At the same time, the aim is to ensure that cadastral and surveying tasks can continue to be carried out professionally, reliably and in a citizen-centred manner in the long term.