Energy prices could weigh heavily on many households this winter. The tenants’ association now warned of drastic consequences. Relief is required.
In view of the drastically increased energy prices, the German Tenants’ Association has warned of the financial collapse of millions of private households in Germany. The sharp increase in costs “could mean nothing less than ruin for millions of tenants,” said association leader Lukas Siebenkotten of the “Bild” newspaper (Saturday edition). The federal government is therefore “called on to introduce significant heating cost subsidies for people who would otherwise no longer be able to pay for a heated apartment”. If this doesn’t happen quickly, “social upheaval and disputes are to be feared,” Siebenkotten warned.
The deputy chair of the SPD parliamentary group, Verena Hubertz, promised further relief from the federal government in the coming months. “We know the seriousness of the situation,” she told the “Bild”. “And we are working flat out on solutions. No tenant should end up on the street because the additional costs are exploding.”
Termination stop under discussion
The SPD politician also spoke out in favor of a freeze on layoffs. This can ensure that defaulting tenants do not lose their apartment. The president of the social association VdK, Verena Bentele, also spoke out in favor of this. “Poor pensioners face energy cuts if they can’t pay their bills and, in the worst case, lose their apartment because heating costs are often part of the rent,” Bentele told the “Bild”. This must be “absolutely prevented”. “We now need protection against dismissal for such hardship cases and energy blocks must be suspended,” demanded the VdK boss.
