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"A warm woolen blanket will probably still be needed":
LEG housing
group boss Lars von Lackum
gives his tenants tips on how to behave in the winter in their own four walls
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / picture alliance / dpa
After the industry leader Vonovia, the second largest German real estate group LEG Immobilien is also preparing tenants for lower heating temperatures.
"I believe that in the current war situation, the population in Germany must be made aware that renunciation is now the order of the day," LEG boss
Lars von Lackum told
the "Handelsblatt".
"And that will be a renunciation of heat - you have to say that politically."
Lackum called for a legal option to be able to lower temperatures more than before.
Vonovia had already announced at the beginning of the month that it wanted to save gas and reduce the heating output in many of its apartments at night.
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"As usual":
It will be interesting to see whether the tenants of the LEG housing group will still see it that way after the announcement that the heating temperature will be reduced this winter
Photo: DPA
"We don't benefit if we're all warm privately but nobody goes to work anymore because the companies are shutting down production in droves," he added.
"Without hard decisions, we will run into big problems in the winter," the newspaper's manager continued.
Putting on an extra sweater in your own four walls may not be enough.
"A warm blanket will probably be needed."
Up to two months' rent additional costs
The LEG boss expects that the tenants of the housing giant will have to pay "an additional one to two months' rent" for the service charge bill next year due to the high gas prices.
"It will overwhelm many financially," he warned.
As in the Corona crisis, LEG will offer installment payments or something similar, but that is only temporary help.
At the same time, von Lackum called for a moratorium on termination for tenants who can no longer pay the high heating bills.
He expects "that up to 20 percent of tenants nationwide can no longer get the problem with energy prices under control financially alone".
The German Tenants' Association had called for protection against dismissal for tenants who can no longer pay their heating bills.
Vonovia drops to 17 degrees Celsius at night
"In order to save as much gas as possible in our stocks, we will successively introduce a night-time lowering of the heating temperature for the gas central heating systems in our stocks," Vonovia had announced.
Vonovia reduces the heating line to 17 degrees Celsius between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
During the day and in the evening hours, the tenants could continue to heat as usual.
55 percent of the heating systems in Vonovia's portfolio are supplied with gas.
Vonovia boss Rolf Buch had warned against significantly increasing utility bills in view of the rapidly increasing energy costs in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions from the West.
rei/Reuters/dpa-afx
