April 2024

Switching energy providers: huge savings possible

Consumers can currently save 300 to 800 euros per year by switching electricity or gas providers. The North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center points this out. There are "cheap electricity and gas tariffs" again. In addition, some electricity tariffs are also back to "pre-crisis levels" according to the NRW consumer advice center. If a family switches from an electricity tariff with a basic price...

WEG: Wide scope for cost allocation

New regulations in the Condominium Act offer more flexibility in the allocation of costs for maintenance measures. According to the judgments V ZR 81/23 and V ZR 87/23 of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), condominium associations can now pass resolutions that provide for a specific cost allocation at the expense of individual owners for the maintenance of the common property. This makes it possible to...

Cable TV: Abolition of the service charge privilege

From July 1, landlords will no longer be allowed to pass on the monthly fees for a cable TV connection to their tenants. This was previously the case for apartment buildings with a shared cable connection. The reason for the abolition of the so-called "ancillary cost privilege" is an amendment to the Telecommunications Act. Tenants can then choose their own provider. For...

Employee housing: the key to securing skilled workers?

The provision of affordable housing by employers, known as "employee housing", is once again gaining importance in Germany. A recent study by the "RegioKontext" institute shows that companies from various sectors, from craft businesses to large corporations, are becoming increasingly involved in this area. Employee housing could be a...

Buying real estate: possibilities for state subsidies

For many people, buying a home is a financial challenge, particularly because of the high equity requirements. For example, buying a property worth 400,000 euros requires 80,000 euros of equity. In order to help potential buyers, the state offers various subsidies that can be used to save up equity capital or to help with the...

Energy efficiency: Significant influence on real estate prices

The energy efficiency class of a property has a significant impact on its market value. For example, houses with the highest energy efficiency class A+ are on average 25 percent more expensive than those with the lowest energy efficiency class H. This trend is also reflected in apartments: properties with class A+ achieve a premium of 25 percent compared to those with energy efficiency class D.

Cosmetic repairs: burden of proof lies with the tenant

The Federal Court of Justice recently clarified the obligations to carry out decorative repairs in tenancy agreements (BGH; VIII ZB 43/23). In essence, the issue is that the responsibility for decorative repairs can be effectively transferred from the landlord to the tenant by means of standard contract clauses. However, this presupposes that the apartment is in a renovated condition at the start of the tenancy....

Gardening and landscaping: Germany's up-and-coming talent

The Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau (BGL) has honored six young talents from the gardening and landscaping sector for their exceptional achievements in training and further education. The award winners are Nadine Kohler (Gartenbau Lang GmbH, VGL Baden-Württemberg), Michael Reindl (Haderstorfer Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau GmbH, VGL Bayern), Natalie Scholz...

Housing market: a forecast

The Empirica Institute's "Housing Market Forecast 2024", based on data up to 2045, shows significant demographic changes and their impact on the demand for housing in Germany. Looking ahead to the coming decades, it becomes clear that despite a general population decline, there will be an increased demand for new housing in certain regions. Especially in...

Resilience: Association of cities and municipalities in favor of bunker construction

The Association of Towns and Municipalities is calling for the construction of new shelters. The current number of 600 operational public shelters is insufficient, as they only offer protection for around 500,000 people. It is therefore necessary to make disused bunkers usable again and to build new shelters. In view of the changed security situation as a result of the Russian war of aggression against the...

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