Göttingen wants to buy over 100 apartments in problem property
The city of Göttingen wants to buy 119 apartments in a run-down block of flats. The city wants to become the majority owner of the property in Göttingen's Weststadt district in order to push ahead with renovations, as the municipality announced on Thursday. On Wednesday evening, the city council unanimously authorized the administration to negotiate this.
According to the information provided, the living conditions in the block of flats are in some cases inhumane. It would have to be comprehensively renovated or, ideally, demolished and rebuilt. However, the existing residents should not be displaced, as Göttingen's mayor Petra Broistedt (SPD) said. However, there will be no quick solution for the problem property.
The previous majority owner had accepted an offer from a private buyer for the 119 apartments. However, the contract is not yet effective. The city now wants to talk to the two contractual partners about a possible reversal of the purchase agreement. The owners have so far seen the building as an investment property. "The conditions under which people live there played a subordinate role for them at best," said Broistedt.
The city currently owns 22 apartments in the complex. Nine more are to be purchased in the near future. However, this is not enough to become the majority owner. The city does not continue to rent out its apartments when residents move out, but leaves them empty.
According to the city administration, around 140 people are registered in the residential complex. There are a total of 165 apartments on six floors, most of which have one or two rooms.
The city's goal to acquire the majority of the property in the Weststadt district highlights the need for improvement in the living conditions of the municipalities' residents. Despite the previous owners viewing the building as an investment, the city prioritizes the well-being of the residents, recognizing the inadequate living circumstances within the apartments.
Source: www.dpa.com
