2022

Christmas: Decorations without a real tree

He himself admits that this is an experiment, but schoener-wohnen.de author Jan Kahl dared to try it anyway. In a series of pictures, he shows what alternatives there are to the Christmas tree. For example, a wooden ladder can be decorated with Christmas decorations, fairy lights and fir greenery to create a Christmassy flair. Arrangements in shades of green and berry can also be...

Promotion: Property tax relief for property buyers from NRW

In North Rhine-Westphalia, private property buyers who have purchased a house, a condominium or a plot of land this year or would like to do so can benefit from a reduction of up to 10,000 euros in real estate transfer tax. However, the prerequisites for this are that they use the property themselves, that it has not cost more than 500,000 euros and that it is registered with NRW.Bank...

Competition: German Timber Construction Prize awarded

Interested parties can apply for the German Timber Construction Award, which is endowed with a total of 20,000 euros, until Sunday, January 15, 2023 at deutscher-holzbaupreis.de/online_einreichung/. The prize is awarded to buildings and building components that are predominantly made of wood, wood-based materials and other renewable raw materials. Architects, builders, among others, can take part...

Decision: Property owner must ensure rat control

Even if an owner is not responsible for pests on her property, she must combat them and bear the costs. At least that is what the Berlin Administrative Court has now ruled (VG 14 L 1235/22). In this case, an unknown person had provided rats with food and drink on a property in Berlin-Reinickendorf. The rat infestation had been reported to the public health department and...

Economy: German furniture industry sees growth potential in North America

The Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM) sees growth potential for its activities on the North American market. "The market offers interesting growth opportunities for our manufacturers not only in stationary sales, but also in the online channel," says Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the German Furniture Industry Association (VDM/VHK). The reason for these assumptions is...

Study: Buying real estate is becoming more difficult

Buying a property is becoming increasingly difficult for many potential buyers. At least that is what the Immowelt Group assumes due to the key interest rate hike by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the associated expected increase in building interest rates. For example, if a family wanted to buy a house in Stuttgart, they would only be able to take out a loan of 322,000 euros in the third quarter of 2022 in order to...

Climate change: 235 municipalities apply for funding

Numerous cities and municipalities apparently want to beat climate change. According to the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BBSR), 286 project outlines from 235 municipalities were received for the federal program for adapting urban areas to climate change. The amount of funding applied for is around 983 million euros. This means that the amount of funding applied for is around 5.5 times...

Fireplaces: Consumer advice center warns of fires

In view of the energy price crisis and the increased demand for stoves and fireplaces, the energy advice service of the consumer advice center has compiled important aspects for dealing with them. For example, it points out that every fireplace must be approved by a chimney sweep. If this is not done, according to the consumer advice center, there is an increased risk of flue gas poisoning and...

Verdict: Local court casts doubt on rent index

The Siegburg district court doubts the accuracy of the 2021 rent index in Troisdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, and has instead set a different net comparative rent for an apartment with the help of an expert. In this case (case no. 123 C 60/21), a landlord wanted to increase the rent for his 78 square meter maisonette apartment from around 560 euros (7.18 per square meter) to...

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