Gas crisis in Germany: Large landlords in Saxony turn off hot water by the hour
Created: 06/07/2022 05:33
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
Because of the gas crisis, millions of households are threatened with an explosion in energy costs.
A major landlord in Saxony has reacted to this and restricted the hot water times of its tenants.
Dippoldiswalde – Concerns about a possible total failure of Russian gas supplies are growing.
The consequences could be dramatic and include a huge explosion in energy costs.
In Saxony, the Dippoldiswalde housing cooperative has already taken tough measures in view of the rising costs.
Energy crisis: landlord turns off hot water by the hour
"We now have to save for the winter," announced the major landlord in a notice that was also posted on Facebook.
The heating in the houses will therefore be turned off until September;
Hot water is only available at certain times in the morning, midday and evening.
The housing cooperative has confirmed these measures to RTL, which affect 300 of the landlord’s 600 apartments.
The move was met with outrage on social media.
Angry Facebook users write of "coercion" and advise affected tenants to sue.
The housing association defended its move to RTL: In this way, the tenants should be protected from significantly higher bills in a few months, says board member Falk Kühn-Meisegeier to the broadcaster.
The members of the cooperative are “not millionaires” and some live below the poverty line.
By dividing up hot water, gas should be saved and the rising prices should be cushioned a little.
Legal entitlement to hot water: Tenants' association sharply criticizes the landlord's actions
"We don't want our people to be scared next year when they look at their utility bills," the board also told MDR.
In addition, the cooperative must pay the local energy supplier in advance.
Instead of around 100,000 euros in advance as for 2021, the cooperative now expects 400,000 euros for 2022, Kühn-Meisegeier told MDR.
According to the cooperative, the measures would be understood by the tenants.
If at least one tenant does not agree with the regulation, there could be legal repercussions for the cooperative, according to the tenants' association in Saxony.
Because: A landlord should not unilaterally decide to turn off the hot water.
"An apartment is free of defects if hot water is available 24 hours a day," explains spokesman Florian Bau in the
Leipziger Volkszeitung
.
If this is not the case, residents could possibly reduce the rent because they have a legal right to hot water.
In the MDR, Bau advises the tenants concerned to write to the cooperative that they do not agree with the hot water regulation.
"Otherwise, you can reduce the rent if necessary or enforce your rights with legal help," said Bau, who is also a legal advisor to the Dresden Tenants' Association.