The consumer advice center warns against a scam via e-mail regarding an alleged subsidy program of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). The KfW does indeed offer funding programs, but not an "inflation protection funding program". Criminals have written a corresponding e-mail with the KfW logo. Their aim is to obtain personal data. In the e-mail...

How can water be saved in private households? Energy expert Stefan Materne from the consumer advice center gives advice. For example, consumers can save up to 70 percent water by turning off the tap while soaping their hands or brushing their teeth. Those who replace bathing with showering and use an energy-saving shower head can also save water. However, be...

A tenant cannot reclaim rent that has been paid in excess if it is paid by a benefit provider such as a job center. This was recently decided by the Berlin Regional Court (case reference: 64 S 190/21). The case in question involved a tenant who had sued his landlord for repayment. The district court dismissed the claim because the tenant was receiving social benefits and was therefore not entitled to...

The energy quality of buildings will have a greater influence on the purchase price of real estate in the future than in the past. This is the opinion of 90 percent of 240 experts from various sectors of the real estate market who took part in an online survey conducted by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR). The purchase prices depend on the type of construction, thermal insulation and...

With a transaction volume of 225 million euros, the hotel investment market in Germany recorded its weakest opening quarter since 2014 in the first quarter of 2023, according to a report by real estate consultants Colliers. Hotel transactions accounted for four percent of the total commercial investment volume in the first quarter of 2023. This corresponds to the level of the last three...

Phil Niemeyer, Felix Roder and Niklas Haschke, all graduates of Bauhaus-Universität Weimer, were successful in the nationwide "Built on IT" competition. The competition is about finding innovative digital solutions in the construction industry. The award-winning works deal with current challenges in the construction industry, such as cost-effective construction, digitalization and...

The Agency for Municipal Climate Protection recently started advising municipalities on energy and climate protection. Among other things, local authorities can obtain advice on funding opportunities and help with applications. They can also obtain information on the e-cargo bike directive, for example. The agency operates nationwide. "Cities, districts and municipalities are key players...

A dispute over a cypress tree on the property boundary of two neighbors in Trudering recently occupied the Munich District Court (case no. 155 C 10864/18). The roots of the cypress tree, which stands on the defendant's property, are said to have lifted the neighbor's garage foundation. The door could hardly be opened. Cracks had also appeared in the side wall of the garage. The...

Fewer flowers and plants were sold last year than in previous years. According to estimates by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH (AMI), consumers in Germany spent an average of around 22 euros on bedding and balcony plants in 2022, almost 1 percent less than before the pandemic. The AMI attributes the reluctance to buy plants to rising energy costs and an increasing...

Households receiving basic income support or citizens' allowance in old age spend more money per month on heating and electricity than comparable households with low incomes. This is the result of a recently published study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). Between 2010 and 2019, the affected households paid an average of €5.30 more per month for heating and...