2024

A new housing demand forecast calls into question previous estimates of the housing shortage in Germany. Instead of the assumed 400,000 new apartments per year, the research and consulting institute Empirica forecasts a demand of only 170,000 apartments. According to Empirica, many of the recently built apartments were built in the "wrong place". The result: they do not contribute to...

Additional living space can be created by converting the basement. Windows provide daylight in the hobby room, office or guest room. Installing these is particularly useful if the basement is above ground level. Ideally, window installation should be carried out by specialist companies who also supply the windows. The portal "sanier.de" points this out. To the...

An energy performance certificate is required when selling or renting a property. The consumer advice center points this out. The law requires this in order to ensure transparency regarding the energy efficiency of a property. A distinction is made between demand and consumption certificates, with the latter being cheaper but less informative. The cost of the energy performance certificate must not...

If a living room and a basement room are rented separately with two contracts, the rent cap does not apply to the basement room. This was decided by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH; case reference: VIII ZR 94/21). In the case at hand, tenants had paid an apartment for an initial basic rent of 850 euros. They also concluded a basement usage agreement with their landlord for 79 euros per month. The rent for the...

When you plant a garden, you sometimes have to wait a long time for a visible result. But there are tricks that can shorten the wait. With the right planning, suitable methods and the right tools, the garden can quickly come to life. The portal "mein-schoener-garten.de" points this out. An immediate requirement is often a privacy screen. But plants need time to grow...

Rents in the surrounding areas of many major cities are rising faster than in the cities themselves. This trend is being driven by the increasing demand for housing outside the metropolitan areas. The former price advantage of apartments in the surrounding areas is therefore increasingly disappearing. In the long term, this trend - which is particularly noticeable in the areas surrounding Berlin and Munich - could lead to...

A pilot project with an innovative textile façade that effectively binds nitrogen oxides was recently launched in Cologne. The textile façade filters harmful nitrogen oxides from the air and converts them into harmless nitrates to improve air quality in the city center. The façade is made from recycled PET bottles and aluminum. In addition, no adhesives were used for the textile façade,...

So-called hybrid systems can contribute to better energy efficiency in buildings. This is achieved by combining several technologies, such as a heat pump and another energy source. The heat pump uses ambient heat to efficiently heat and cool buildings. Compared to a conventional heating system, it consumes significantly less electrical energy. Your...

A 70-year-old owner will no longer have to walk the more than 100 steps to his apartment. Instead, he can now have an external elevator installed on his apartment building - even though it is a listed building and even received the City of Munich's façade award for the front building in 1983. This was recently decided by the Federal Court of Justice (AZ: V ZR 244/22 and V ZR 33/23). In the...

The start of spring and rising temperatures invite amateur gardeners to prepare their gardens and balconies for the season. Now is the ideal time to remove weeds, loosen the soil and start sowing. The portal "garbsen-city-news.de" now points this out. Carry out cleaning workCareful cleaning is the first step towards...