December 2020

Analysis: Cold and warm ancillary housing costs

In its analysis "Incidental Housing Costs in Germany," the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IWD) examines the development as well as regional differences with regard to cold and warm incidental housing costs in German cities and regions. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, ancillary housing costs in Germany averaged 2.70 euros per square meter per month. Of this, 1.30 euros was attributable to...

Distance from the neighboring property

Anyone who builds a house must ensure that certain distances to the neighboring property are maintained. But there are not only rules for the location of the house. The distance regulations also apply to the garage, a garden shed or the roofing of the terrace. In Germany, a minimum distance of 2.5 to 3 meters to the neighboring property applies. By the...

Energy saving lamps and LED lamps

When it comes to lighting, a lot of energy and money can be saved. Energy-saving lamps and LED lamps have many advantages, but differ from each other in some features. For example, LED lamps are somewhat more expensive than energy-saving lamps, but they are characterized by a burning time of 20,000 hours. In addition, compared to ordinary light bulbs, they minimize the...

Ruling: Notice of termination of own use requires concrete reasons

Landlords who give notice of termination to their tenants due to their own needs must provide concrete reasons for doing so. In the case at hand (AZ 67 S 249/19), the tenants of an apartment in Berlin were to move out because the tenant, who lives outside of Berlin, wanted to temporarily move into the apartment herself. Since the property was a second home, the landlady merely stated that she...

Tip: Sufficient light in the attic

Sooner or later, many homeowners build out the attic. While owners of a new building can start thinking about the purpose of the attic and how it should be equipped at the planning stage, owners of an existing property have to make do with what is there. Often, an attic conversion in an old house is a structural...

Analysis: Industrial real estate in eastern Germany increasingly popular

According to analyses by market expert Realogis, industrial real estate in eastern Germany is experiencing a major upswing and will continue to attract the attention of investors in the future. East German logistics markets are so interesting because not only are land prices affordable, but many properties also have a very good infrastructure. Likewise, there are in eastern Germany...

Building tip: wooden garage

A wooden garage is a perfect solution when it comes to protecting your own car from the elements. Because with a wooden garage homeowners have the opportunity to keep the car free from snowfall in winter and make the annoying window scraping a thing of the past. In the summer, on the other hand, the car does not heat up in the heat, so the car ride is pleasant even without air conditioning...

Promotion: Charging stations for e-cars for residential buildings

The new "Charging Stations for Electric Cars - Residential Buildings" funding program from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) further expands the area of electromobility. Thus, there are not only attractive purchase premiums for the acquisition of an electric car, but also financial support for the installation of private charging stations on residential buildings for the electric car. The grant of 900...

Ruling: No real estate transfer tax on movable property when taking over a house

The new owners of a single-family house filed a lawsuit against the tax office (AZ 5 K 2938/16). When purchasing a property worth a total of 392,500 euros, they had the sum of 9,500 euros for the takeover of the fitted kitchen and the awnings listed separately in the notarized purchase contract. This is because if used, movable items are also sold when buying a property, it is necessary to refer to...

Advantages of resilient flooring

Resilient floor coverings, for example made of vinyl, linoleum, natural rubber or cork, have many advantages. They are easy to clean, have good impact sound and thermal insulation properties and are very gentle on the joints and warm underfoot due to their resilient and soft surface. Due to the different materials, resilient floor coverings are used in both commercial and private...

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