Vacancy in East Germany increasingly concentrates on buildings made from prefabricated slabs. The vacancy rates mostly exceed 10-15 per cent. The experiences of centres of slab houses show strategies how to manage vacancies in an economical way avoiding as many social strains as possible. Investigations concentrate on:

The project has been initiated in the context of the promotion of building research.
Based on Article 43 of the Housing Allowance Act the Federation supports research aiming at reducing building costs and rationalising the building process considering ecological building and healthy housing. The promotion of building research is annually advertised by the BBR. Companies, research institutes and planners are invited to apply.

The experiences of East German centres of slab houses show strategies how to manage vacancies in an economical way avoiding as many social strains as possible.

Vacancies cause high costs (loss of rents,  overhead expenditure, old debts). The overhead expenditure can be reduced by concentrating vacancies and shutting down vacant buildings. Cost reduction therefore remains a continuous task but new concepts how to deal with vacant estate parts are also needed. A successful vacancy management is only possible if residents are willing to participate. This is ensured by good public relations, adequate alternative flats as well as support in case of a move. There are good experiences with the participation of residents. However, there is often a lack of redeveloped alternative flats.
Unsolved problems include both the discharge from old debts, which is granted following the demolition of a building but not for flats which have been shut down, and the financing of the remodelling of technical infrastructure.

Weeber + Partner Institut für Stadtplanung und Sozialforschung
Mühlrain 9
D-70180 Stuttgart
Germany
Phone: 0049 (0)711 / 62 00 93 60
Fax: 0049 (0)711 / 62 00 93 89
wpstuttgart@weeberpartner.de
http://www.weeberpartner.de/
Dr. Margit Lindner

Weeber + Partner Institut für Stadtplanung und Sozialforschung
Emser Straße 18
D-10719 Berlin
Germany
Phone: 0049 (0)30 / 861 6424
Fax: 0049 (0)30 / 861 6630
wpberlin@weeberpartner.de
http://www.weeberpartner.de/

01/11/2004

01/11/2004

Federal Office for Building and Regional Planing

research

Urban Policy > Housing > Housing policy

Housing market