General

A business survey conducted by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) has revealed that companies fear the consequences of higher electricity and gas prices. Almost half (46 percent) of the 600 companies surveyed fear a loss of competitiveness in Germany as a business location. In addition, the companies also fear that they will...

The Association of Private Building Owners (VPB) criticizes the fact that there are still considerable deficits in the awareness of consumer rights in connection with turnkey construction. In its third study on construction contract law, entitled "The new construction contract law - turnkey construction for consumer builders - study on implementation in the period 2020", the VPB found that...

How can the block development of Hamburg's Speicherstadt be supplied with C02-neutral energy by 2040? HHLA Real Estate is investigating this question together with several project partners. Together, they are investigating, among other things, how the energy required to operate the property can be generated, stored and used in the building itself. A particular challenge is posed by the protection of historical monuments....

If someone has to care for a close relative and wants to move into the same house to do so, he can give notice to the current tenants on the grounds of personal need. This is the result of a ruling by the Munich Local Court (file number 453 C 3432/21). In the case in question, a grandniece had sued the tenants - an elderly couple - after the failure of pre-court settlement negotiations and ultimately...

What is important when choosing a bed and mattress? This question is answered by the German Furniture Quality Association (DGM). It advises individuals to choose a bed with a mattress width with a minimum dimension of 80 centimeters. Couples should choose a bed width of at least 1.60 meters, because from this width onwards, two mattresses can be used that meet the different requirements....

In their real estate search, 70 percent of those who have ever been on the lookout for an apartment or house to rent or buy in the past used the Internet in part or exclusively. This is the result of a survey conducted by Bitkom Research, a subsidiary of the German Digital Association. In this survey, the company asked around 1,000 people aged 16...

A "Digital Construction Week" starts on Monday, December 13. It is aimed at architects, building contractors, specialist planners and tradesmen who want to find out about digital solutions in the construction industry. Numerous startups will present their concepts, cooperation approaches and products. In 5-minute presentations, they will showcase topics such as Building Information Modeling (BIM),...

In an evaluation of 1,681 existing and new buildings marketed by McMakler, it emerged that, on average, only 13 percent of all energy certificates issued received the energy efficiency classes A+, A or B and thus the three best possible energy efficiency classes. Looking only at new buildings, things look better: Here, 71 percent receive energy efficiency classes A+, A or...

If tenants have to bear the costs of a chargeable broadband cable connection for the entire term of their lease, this does not violate the Telecommunications Act under the current legal situation. This was recently ruled by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). However, this practice has not been permitted since December 1, 2021 anyway. The reason for this is an amendment to the...

In the new "Home Report 2022" from the Zukunftsinstitut, housing expert and futurologist Oona Horx-Strathern looks at the impact of the Corona pandemic on housing. She has identified and summarized three different trends. She calls these "Conscious Kitchen," "FurNEARtur" and "modular furniture." By the "Conscious Kitchen" trend, she means that the...