General

The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) has examined living conditions in cities, districts and regions against the backdrop of the Corona pandemic and published a corresponding publication. The "Atlas of Urban and Regional Development" is also devoted to the area of "housing." Among other things, the authors have studied the development of rental and...

The price of new apartments rose by around 17 percent from November 2021 to November 2022. This was reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Increased prices for various services and materials probably also had a significant influence on this. According to Destatis, prices for roofing and sealing work, among other things, rose by 20.3 percent in the aforementioned period, for...

The Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzvb) advises customers affected by termination without notice by their energy suppliers to claim damages. According to the vzbv, customers have suffered damage because they were placed in basic energy supply through no fault of their own. Customers often pay higher prices for the basic energy supply than for tariffs they have chosen themselves. Affected customers...

Do the reflections of a photovoltaic system constitute a nuisance for the neighbor or not? The Higher Regional Court of Braunschweig had to deal with this question (Case No. 8 U 166/21). In the case in question, an owner sued his neighbor. The neighbor had installed a photovoltaic system on his roof. The panels would cause reflections of the solar radiation and a...

The portal "brigitte.de" has summarized the living trends in 2023 and identified the following: the eclecticism trend, the Coastal Granny trend, the Japandi trend, the wellness trend, the marble trend and the Greenterior trend. In the eclecticism trend, among other things, old and new furnishings are combined. To locate old furnishings, it is recommended to...

Asking prices for new-build and refurbished older properties in Germany remain at a constant level. This is evident from figures published by immobilienscout24.de. Prospective buyers currently have to pay an average of around 5,200 euros per square meter for a refurbished property dating from 1900 to 1949. For newer properties built in 2014 or later, the...

In order to pool knowledge relating to photovoltaic systems, roofers and electricians will cooperate in the future. This has been decided by the Central Association of German Electrical and Information Technology Trades (ZVEH) and the Central Association of the German Roofing Trade (ZVDH). Among other things, further training courses relating to photovoltaic systems are planned as part of the cooperation. The aim of the...

In terms of net electricity generation, photovoltaics, among others, increased from 2021 to 2022. This was reported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. According to the report, solar power generation increased by 19 percent from 2021 to 2022. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE attributes this on the one hand to the expansion and on the other hand to the sunny weather. In total, the German solar power...

The state of Berlin has now finally failed in its attempt to protect houses from privatization by exercising its right of first refusal in a so-called milieu protection area in the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has issued a ruling to this effect (III ZR 217/20). The decision states that the appeal against the non-admission of the appeal has been rejected.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) draws attention to the particular dangers of button cells for small children. If swallowed, they can get stuck in the esophagus and severely damage the mucous membrane. "After swallowing a button cell, an examination should be carried out immediately in a clinic," says BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel. Also at the...