Even if an owner cannot do anything about pests on her property, she must fight them and bear the costs. At least, this is what the Berlin Administrative Court (VG 14 L 1235/22) has now ruled. In the case at hand, an unknown person had provided rats with food and drinks on a property in Berlin-Reinickendorf. The rat infestation had been reported to the health department and...

The German Furniture Industry Association (VDM) sees growth potential for its activities in the North American market. "The market offers interesting growth opportunities for our manufacturers not only in stationary sales, but also in the online channel in particular," says Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the German Furniture Industry Associations (VDM/VHK). The reason for these assumptions offers...

Buying real estate is becoming increasingly difficult for many prospective buyers. At least, this is what the Immowelt Group assumes due to the key interest rate increase of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the associated expected increase in construction interest rates. If, for example, a family wanted to buy a house in Stuttgart, they could only take out a loan of 322,000 euros in the 3rd quarter of 2022, in order to be able to buy a house with a healthy...

Numerous cities and municipalities apparently want to beat climate change. According to the German Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction (BBSR), 286 project outlines from 235 municipalities were received for the federal program for adapting urban areas to climate change. The funding requested amounts to around 983 million euros. This means that the funding requested is around 5.5 times...

In view of the energy price crisis and the increased demand for stoves and fireplaces, the energy consulting service of the consumer center has compiled important aspects for dealing with them. For example, it points out that every fireplace must be approved by a chimney sweep. If this does not happen, according to the consumer center, there is an increased risk of flue gas poisoning and...

The Siegburg Local Court doubted the accuracy of the 2021 rent index in Troisdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, and instead determined a different net comparative rent for an apartment with the help of an expert. In the case at hand (ref. 123 C 60/21), a landlord wanted to raise the rent for his 78-square-meter maisonette apartment from around 560 euros (7.18 per square meter) to...

Which Christmas colors are in vogue this year? The portal schoener-wohnen.de has found out and comes to the conclusion that the color blue in subtle or deep nuances is particularly popular. For example, a tablecloth, the napkins or the candles in blue-gray or blue-brown tones can be chosen. Those who like it even more daring, can instead opt for a...

A good 52 percent of homes in Germany are heated with natural gas. This is the result of the 2021 Consumption Characteristics Study by energy service provider Techem. For the study, data on final energy and water consumption as well as the costs for heating and hot water of 2.1 million German apartments in around 176,000 apartment buildings were examined. The study also included more than 90,000...

Anyone thinking about building a house should obtain comprehensive information about it in advance. So that nothing goes wrong with the project, the portal Bau Praxis provides "25 tips for better building for private builders". These range from "obtaining factual basic information" to "checking the condition of the soil" and "making one's own contributions". To begin with, for example, model houses can be viewed,...

Prof. Dr. Harald Funke and his team at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences have received the Innovation Award of the German Gas Industry in the category "Efficient Application Technology" for the co-development of their H2 micro-mix burner, which enables hydrogen to be burned in gas turbines in a low-emission, safe and CO2-neutral manner. Already in...