March 2020

Research: New recycling process for wind turbine rotor blades

Wind turbines convert wind into electricity and have become an indispensable part of environmentally friendly power generation in Germany. There are around 30,000 wind turbines in Germany, but they have to be dismantled after about twenty years and replaced with new ones. Some components of the wind turbines, such as the steel and concrete used, are...

Judgment: Termination without notice due to breach of rental contract obligations

The tenants of a five-room apartment in a villa in Berlin must evict their tenant. This is because, according to a court ruling, they have significantly violated their lease obligations. Despite several warnings, they repeatedly let their two dogs run around unleashed on the property's common areas, which include a children's playground. The owner submits...

Customize kitchen backsplash

In times of open living concepts, where living and dining areas are connected with the kitchen, the visual appearance of the kitchen plays an increasingly important role. With a modern kitchen backsplash, residents set visual accents that can be perfectly integrated into the overall living concept. Likewise, kitchen backsplashes serve as protection against splashes and grease stains when cooking. But which material...

Guide: "Problem properties - challenges and solutions in the neighborhood context".

The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) have published a new edition of the guide to dealing with problem properties. This guide not only shows the current developments and risks of problem properties in Germany, but also presents possibilities and opportunities for neighborhood development as well as for the...

Tip: What to look for in a floor plan

Once a suitable building plot has been found and purchased, the next step is to plan the floor plan. This step is very important in the house-building process because, after all, the residents should feel comfortable in their own home in the long term. When creating the floor plan, it is important above all that the rooms are laid out in such a way that they meet the current and also the future requirements of the...

Energy renovation: Tax reductions and increase in state subsidies

At the end of 2019, the German government has decided to increase subsidies in the area of building renovation. Since the beginning of this year, property owners have benefited from significant tax advantages from the tax office as well as subsidies from the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (Bafa) and the state-owned Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). Prerequisite for the subsidy...

Ruling: Energy-saving measures do not always justify a rent increase

As a rule, property owners who renovate their residential building to make it more energy efficient are allowed to pass on the renovation costs to their tenants. After the owner and landlady of a residential building in Berlin had the floor of the attic insulated, she assessed a monthly rent increase of 25 euros per household. The tenant living under the attic floor was not satisfied with the...

Modular housing: The flexibility and mobility of modular homes

A modular house allows owners flexibility and mobility in the design and composition of their home. This is because modular construction is characterized by the fact that the individual rooms can be separated from each other and reassembled. For example, a former children's room can be separated from the main house and used as a detached garden house or guest house....

Study: "Employee housing - The "battle for brains" goes through housing".

Forward-looking housing models and investment in employee housing should continue to provide financial relief for employees and companies in the future. The construction of employee housing is also intended to counteract the housing shortage and relieve the housing market. Thus, the area of "employee housing" in the real estate and housing industry is moving more and more into...

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