2021

In the new "Home Report 2022" from the Zukunftsinstitut, housing expert and futurologist Oona Horx-Strathern looks at the impact of the Corona pandemic on housing. She has identified and summarized three different trends. She calls these "Conscious Kitchen," "FurNEARtur" and "modular furniture." By the "Conscious Kitchen" trend, she means that the...

In Germany, prospective buyers have to pay an average price per square meter of €3,299.70 for an apartment. For single-family homes, the average price is as high as €3,990.96. This means that prices for apartments and houses rose by 6.93 and 7.09 percent respectively from May to October 2021 compared with the period from November 2020 to April 2021. This is according to a...

The German Institute of Urban Affairs (difu) has developed a new guide as part of the "Controllable Urban Material Flows" project funded by the German Federal Environment Agency. This is entitled "Urban planning and urban development as levers for resource and climate protection: municipal instruments, case studies and potentials for reducing resource use". The guide...

The TÜV Association draws attention to the advantages of smart heating controls. These can be operated via app from a smartphone and learn from user behavior. For example, the smart heating controls can remember when and to how many degrees the occupants want certain rooms heated. In addition, the thermostats have a so-called window open detection and switch...

If an owner subsequently insulates existing buildings, causing them to encroach on neighboring property, the neighbors must tolerate this. This is the result of a ruling by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). In the case in question, a dispute had arisen between owners of neighboring properties in North Rhine-Westphalia. The plaintiff was of the opinion that interior insulation of her gable wall did not comply with...

How do owners or tenants find the right dining table for their house or apartment? This question is addressed by the immonet.de portal. It advises to orient itself with the choice of the table at the number of the inhabitants. Per person should, according to portal, an area of 60 x 40 centimeters be planned. If guests frequently come to visit, owners or tenants can also consider an extendable...

The German Real Estate Association (IVD) took a closer look at the development of rents in the retail sector and identified four developments. First: Due to the Corona pandemic, there is a lot of vacant retail space, especially in city centers. Second: Particularly in Germany's seven largest cities, rents have declined the more they were previously...

The German Employer's Liability Insurance Association for the Construction Industry (BG Bau) provides tips on safe working for employees in the construction industry during the cooler months of the year. To prevent accidents, construction sites should be prepared in good time for the fall. To do this, artificial light sources must be used because of the poor lighting conditions in the morning and from late afternoon. For this purpose, BG Bau recommends a...

The Federal Council has approved a new heating cost regulation (HeizKV). Among other things, newly installed meters must be capable of being read remotely. Devices already installed must be retrofitted with this function or replaced by January 1, 2027. In addition, tenants will receive a different bill in the future. This must include a comparison between current consumption and the consumption of the...

The Federal Administrative Court (BVerwG) has partially overturned the right of first refusal for real estate in Berlin and thus upheld the complaint of a real estate company. The right of first refusal is normally intended to ensure that houses are not bought up and tenants move away - for example, due to renovation measures that result in higher rents. In the present case...