How can a sustainable turnaround in construction be achieved? This was recently investigated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO together with several associations and chambers of the real estate industry. They identified over 100 trends, which they summarized in three future scenarios. According to the IAO, the three scenarios are "#innovationiskey",...

Good planning is required to ensure that the stairs in the house do not become an accident hazard. This is usually done by experts. However, it is also advisable for builders or owners to find out about staircase construction in the course of renovation work. The "bauen.de" portal provides information on how to calculate stairs and what to look out for when building stairs. This must...

The GDW Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies recently published various tips on the subject of "saving energy" to mark the current situation. These include lowering the room temperature. According to the association, temperatures of 20 to 22 degrees are sufficient during the heating period. If the apartment is aired, the heating should be turned off beforehand to reduce energy costs.

Residents of a shared house had complained to their landlady about their flatmate. The landlady then wrote to him with the following content: "Due to complaints about strong odors and vermin in the stairwell, we would like to carry out an inspection of your apartment. Our employee, Mr. K., will inspect the stairwell on Thursday, 15 August 2019 at 10 a.m....

According to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Die Moderne Küche (AMK), outdoor food preparation is becoming increasingly important. Interested parties can purchase outdoor kitchens in different versions. Among other things, they should make sure that they are made of weather and UV-resistant materials and that the appliances and accessories have been designed for outdoor use....

A study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) concludes that rent controls can only reduce economic inequality in the short term. This is based on the assumption that poorer households that pay high rents face richer households that have income from renting. If the legislator limits the growth of rents, according to...

The Berlin consumer advice center knows what to consider when installing a ventilation system. Among other things, it points out that appropriate specialist planning is required, that the most efficient devices have the EU efficiency label A+ and that the acquisition costs for ventilation systems with heat recovery are financially subsidized via the federal subsidy program for efficient buildings (BEG).

A technology for optimizing solar systems is the goal of the Dig4morE joint project, which includes the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg and the photovoltaic companies Sunsniffer, Aquila Capital and Sunset Energietechnik. Using artificial intelligence, the project partners want to develop a methodology that suggests optimization measures for solar installations. Thanks to the...

The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has strengthened the pre-emption rights of tenants in a recent ruling (VIII ZR 305/20). In this case, a tenant of a 46.60 square meter unrenovated apartment in an apartment building in Berlin, which the owner divided into condominium units, wanted to exercise her right of first refusal. According to the purchase agreement, she was to pay 163,266.67...

Property owners in Baden-Württemberg are more satisfied than tenants. This is the conclusion reached by Prof. Dr. Frank Brettschneider from the University of Hohenheim in a study commissioned by the Baden-Württemberg building societies. The study shows that 71 percent of homeowners in Baden-Württemberg are satisfied with their current housing situation. For tenants, the figure is only 52...