The milieu protection statutes have long been a thorn in the side of the Haus & Grund Frankfurt owners' association.

Because the specifications with which the city wants to maintain the composition of the population in particularly popular districts such as Nordend or Bornheim make it difficult to create new living space, says Chairman Jürgen Conzelmann.

Record inflation, high construction prices, rising interest rates and stricter regulation of the rental market are making the situation worse.

"No one invests anymore" is Conzelmann's conclusion.

Gunter Murr

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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This is a result of the current member survey by Haus & Grund.

Accordingly, 55 percent of the owners stated that they did not want to invest in further rental apartments.

And of those who plan to do so, Frankfurt is not the preferred location.

They prefer to create living space in the rest of the Rhine-Main area (45 percent) or even outside the region (37 percent).

A third of the members of Haus & Grund state that they want to postpone planned investments due to tighter housing regulations.

Almost every fifth landlord wants to suspend them entirely.

Older owners deterred

In particular, owners over the age of 60 - they make up the largest group within Haus & Grund - were deterred by the requirements, according to Conzelmann.

If, for example, the conversion of an attic is made unnecessarily difficult, let it be - with the result that no new living space is created.

It is also becoming increasingly difficult to finance investments in existing buildings, banks are reluctant and access to subsidies is usually very complicated.

Association managing director Gregor Weil knows other examples where the milieu protection statutes have a counterproductive effect: for example, the merging of two small apartments is viewed as an inadmissible upgrade - and a family that needs more space is thus driven out of Frankfurt.

The installation of an elevator is also not permitted - even if it would enable the disabled to stay in their apartment.

The authorities are even skeptical about the installation of well-insulated windows.

"Climate protection and environmental protection sometimes contradict each other," states Conzelmann.

"The city overdoes it with its demands."

Rules "out of date"

That's not the only reason he thinks the rules are "out of date".

The environmental protection statutes urgently need to be reviewed.

However, a "round table" planned for this purpose with all relevant actors, which is even included in the coalition agreement between the Greens, SPD, FDP and Volt, has not yet met.

"We can only solve the problem together." Conzelmann is hoping for the new mayor, who will be elected on March 5th.

"We lost ten years in Frankfurt," he said, referring to the term of office of Peter Feldmann, who was voted out.

The "lack of leadership in the city" is also evident in other real estate issues.

So it was a fatal signal to overturn the Günthersburghöfe development area.

"That will destroy the market." Private investors would lose confidence in Frankfurt.

The development of new building areas is the "most effective lever" to curb housing costs.

Conzelmann believes it is a political mistake to focus on public housing companies.

After all, two thirds of the housing stock in Frankfurt is in private hands.

The private landlords are mostly interested in long-term leases and often do not pass on the current cost increases.

According to the survey, only 31 percent of owners check whether they have legal leeway for a rent increase.

However, 45 percent of those surveyed expect that increasing energy requirements will lead to higher rents.