December 2021

Living arrangements: Living in old age

Seniors want to live a self-determined life. This was the finding of the Ipsos market research institute, which conducted a quantitative and qualitative survey of 1,124 seniors and 74 industry experts across Germany on behalf of the Carestore Group. The results showed that 74 percent of those surveyed would like to live in the center, in regular or upscale residential areas. The study also shows that...

Housing: Urban and rural developments

In Germany, 308,000 new homes need to be built each year to meet demand. This is the result of a study conducted by the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) on behalf of Deutsche Reihenhaus AG. Those responsible also point out that rural regions are threatened by vacancies, whereas too little is being built in major cities. Thus, by...

Construction: Prefabricated wood construction for apartment buildings

In 2021, more houses were built in Germany using prefabricated timber construction methods. This was reported by the German Prefabricated Construction Association (BDF). The trend is continuing, especially for multi-family houses. In prefabricated timber construction, wall and ceiling elements are assembled on the construction site in a short time - a house is built. Nationwide, from January to September 2021, according to the BDF, 14,043 new...

Electricity: Lower consumption in supermarkets

German supermarkets (food retail) are now consuming less and less electricity. This is the finding of the study "Energy management in retail compact: Update on key energy indicators 2021" by the research and consulting institute EHI Retail Institute. This is due to better refrigeration technology and the use of LED lighting. Electricity consumption per square meter...

Ruling: Payment of rent arrears does not invalidate ordinary notice of termination

Tenants who are given immediate (extraordinary) notice of termination due to rent arrears can usually still undo this. To do so, they must pay the rent arrears within two months. This practice is known as grace period payment. However, the grace period payment does not apply if the tenants are given a notice of termination without notice as well as a...

Condominium: This applies to light decorations

If apartment owners would like to decorate their balcony with fairy lights during the Christmas season, they should note that this is common property and take a look at the community rules in advance. On it the consumer protection federation living in the property (WiE) points out. If the fairy lights only shine intermittently, this is usually considered "normal use"...

Research: Study on location analysis systems

35 students, two staff members and Dr. Carsten Lausberg, Professor of Real Estate Management at Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU), have published a study on "The Effectiveness of Location Analysis Systems". These provide information on real estate locations. They can help those responsible from the real estate industry in making a...

Efficiency house 55: Subsidy expires soon

The German Chamber of Engineers (BIngK) regrets the end of new construction funding for the Efficient House 55 standard and calls for a postponement of the funding freeze. New funding for the Effizienzhaus 55 standard will be discontinued on February 1, 2022. After that, only other building renovations as well as efficiency house levels will be subsidized, for example the "Effizienzhaus 40" level. The reason for this, according to...

Energy efficiency: renovation roadmap is eligible for funding

The Haus & Grund Rheinland Westfalen association advises owners who want to renovate their house to get expert advice in advance and have an individual renovation roadmap drawn up. Among other things, this can help avoid bad investments. According to the association, special software is used to create the renovation roadmap. The owners then receive a...

Decision: Development fees may not be levied indefinitely

Development fees may not be levied for an unlimited period of time. This was decided by the Federal Constitutional Court. In the case in question, a landowner who owns several plots of land in Rhineland-Palatinate had filed a lawsuit. Among other things, the road bordering his properties had been developed in 1985/1986 and made accessible to public traffic as a municipal road in 2007....

Compare listings

Compare