2023

Babies become mobile in their first year of life and begin to explore their surroundings. It is therefore important to make the nursery and home childproof in good time. According to the German Furniture Quality Association (DGM), parents can look out for the RAL "Golden M" quality mark when buying furniture. This ensures that the furniture is child-safe and tested for harmful substances. To avoid the risk of injury...

There is a shortage of around 2.2 million age-appropriate apartments in Germany. According to consistent media reports, this is the result of a study conducted by the Pestel Institute on behalf of the Bundesverband Deutscher Baustoff-Fachhandel. Only around 600,000 of the 2.8 million senior households are currently age-appropriate. However, the institute predicts that by 2040 at least 3.3 million...

Colored photovoltaic modules can now not only be a visual highlight, but also offer high efficiency. To this end, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has developed a new technology, MorphoColor® technology. This makes it possible to color PV modules in different colors without significantly reducing the efficiency of the module, as was previously the case.

From January 1, 2024, every newly installed heating system must be powered by at least 65% renewable energy. This mandatory switch to renewable energies will also be enshrined in law in a new Building Energy Act. In this context, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) points out various funding opportunities. If private owners...

A creditor can extinguish a property owner's right of residence if the owner is insolvent. This was recently decided by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH, V ZB 64/21). In this case, a property owner of a developed plot of land contributed it to a civil law partnership (GbR). The GbR was in turn entered in the land register and an entry of the...

Accessories and plants can create a homely atmosphere in a kitchen. Volker Irle, Managing Director of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Die Moderne Küche (AMK), points this out. For example, cookbooks, memorabilia and bottles of wine, oil or vinegar can be placed on open shelving systems to create a decorative effect. For example, lettering with a reference to the kitchen can be used to decorate the kitchen walls.

The proportion of banks planning to grant more loans fell from 61% to 14% compared to the previous year. In addition, 67% of banks are planning to grant fewer loans than before. This is according to the "EY Credit Market Study" by the auditing firm Ernst & Young GmbH. Entrepreneurs and private individuals are also more likely to be unable to obtain a loan....

In order to save as many costs as possible, PDS Bank Nord advises builders to plan well and provides them with tips. For example, builders should make sure that the plot is already developed when they buy it. Otherwise, the costs for utilities, sewage and cable lines will be added to the price. Builders can also save costs if they only build a house with...

How do people who live near so-called dike relocation areas perceive flood protection? Researchers from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Potsdam investigated this question. To this end, they surveyed over 300 people from Saxony-Anhalt in whose towns or cities dike relocation or floodplain renaturation measures have been carried out.

The taxpayers' association and the property owners' association Haus und Grund want to take legal action against property tax in five federal states. This is according to various media reports. One of the reasons for this is a study commissioned by the two associations. In this study, it becomes clear that the constitutional lawyer Gregor Kirchhoff considers the tax system applied in numerous...