General

If saltpeter forms on walls and walls, a remedy must be found quickly. This is because saltpeter is harmful to health and can cause major structural damage. If moisture is present in the walls and comes together with water-soluble compounds in the masonry, salts such as chlorides, sufides or nitrates dissolve from the building substance and get out from inside the walls. To...

New standards have applied to the design, commissioning and maintenance of residential ventilation systems since the first quarter of 2020. In the new version of DIN 1946-6 "Ventilation of dwellings - General requirements, requirements for design, execution, commissioning and handover as well as maintenance", the requirements for residential ventilation systems have been adapted to the current developments in...

The coronavirus crisis is also having an impact on the real estate and housing industry. New challenges are already apparent. Tenants will fall behind in paying their rents. For landlords, too, a stop in payments by tenants can have fatal consequences. The German Real Estate Association IVD supports the measures taken by the German government to protect tenants. However...

If the parquet floor is damaged with small scratches or dents, they can be repaired on their own without having to sand down the whole room or apartment. Depending on the extent of the defect or damage and how it came to the damage, amateur craftsmen can resort to different measures. It is recommended that the correct method be tested on a...

The working group "Health Promoting Community and Urban Development" (AGGSE) of the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) has developed a thesis paper on the topic of "Sustainable Urban Development". The recommendations for action elaborated in it are intended to support cities and municipalities on their way to health-promoting and sustainable urban development. The thesis paper names...

Those who do not want to do without daylight in the attic, can provide light incidence and brightness in the room with a dormer. At the same time, a dormer has the effect of ventilating the attic and increasing the usable space of the room. Roof dormers are available as a prefabricated structure or can be custom-made. However, a custom-made dormer makes the cost rise significantly in the...

Anyone who owns a photovoltaic system should make sure that it is checked regularly to guarantee its functionality and to achieve maximum electricity yields. Especially at the beginning of spring, when the sun shines longer, owners should therefore carry out a solar system check and have the system and battery storage checked. Major damage that...

In a further measure to implement the climate protection plan, the German government has decided to introduce a Co2 price for the transport and heating sectors from January 2021. Accordingly, the prices for heating costs will rise. In order to protect low-income households in particular from the increase in costs, the housing allowance will therefore also be increased from January 2021. Thus, the...

The term "Detox" is primarily associated with detoxification and purification of the body or the field of cosmetics and skin care. However, "interior detox" is also playing an increasingly important role in the area of living. In order to live healthily and feel completely at ease within one's own four walls, a few steps of the "Interior-Detox" principle should therefore be followed. To...

In order to create more transparency in the area of ground leases and its developments on today's housing market, the real estate service provider JLL, in cooperation with the German Ground Lease Association, has published a study that sheds light on both the view of ground lease lenders and the assessment of private sector investors. Thanks to the high participation of ground lease lenders in the...