Association continues to advise tenants to save energy
The tenants' association believes that tenants should continue to save energy. With regard to heating prices, the all-clear cannot yet be given. However, there is also no reason to panic, said Randolph Fries, Managing Director of the Tenants' Association of Lower Saxony-Bremen.
The need for advice at the tenants' association has been at a high level for a year. "But it's not about back payments of thousands of euros," said Fries. And the consultations are not just about heating costs. Rents have already been very high for many years, and since the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, high ancillary costs in an essential area have now been added to this. Because: "People have to heat their homes in winter," said Fries. There are limits to saving energy, not least because of the risk of damp in homes.
Fries therefore recommends: "Save energy, yes, but only as much as possible. If in doubt, tenants should talk to the tenants' association or the landlord directly. "After all, the landlord has no interest in non-payment." The managing director of the tenants' association also emphasized that the peak of the crisis for tenants has probably passed, as there are now government support offers such as the gas price brake, which was only recently extended. The gas storage facilities are also looking good at the moment: They are completely full.
Fries assumes that as long as Germany is dependent on oil and gas for heating and the war in Ukraine continues, uncertainty will remain. With the Heating Act and the switch to renewable energies for heating, a first step towards the future has been taken. However, because the costs of changing the heating system can also be partially passed on to tenants, the tenants' association advises tenants to be prepared for this.
Tenants should continue to follow the association's advice on saving energy, as it's crucial in managing heating prices. Despite the full gas storage facilities and government support offers, there are still limitations to energy saving due to the risk of damp in homes.
Source: www.dpa.com
