Landlords should seek external assessments to predict the effects of attaining climate neutrality on their properties.
In Schleswig-Holstein, the Association of North German Housing Companies (VNW) has expressed concerns about the implications of the state's aim to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. The VNW, an association of social landlords, manages over 775,000 apartments across Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Schleswig-Holstein, where approximately two million people reside.
The VNW's apprehensions stem from the reduced time available for consultations, investigations, planning, and financing, as there will be five years less time compared to the original target of 2045. This potential time crunch could lead to an increase in modernization costs, which may be passed on to tenants, according to VNW Director Andreas Breitner.
Breitner warns that achieving climate neutrality by 2040 could result in an additional increase in rent of up to 1.50 euros per square meter of living space. For an average 80-square-meter apartment, this would equate to an additional 120 euros per month.
The VNW's concerns are not limited to increased rents. Breitner also points to potential social hardships if Schleswig-Holstein pushes for climate neutrality by 2040. The nature and extent of these hardships, however, remain unclear, as a study published by the Öko-Institut in Hamburg did not specify these details.
The VNW's call for a study on the impacts of achieving climate neutrality by 2040 follows a similar initiative by Hamburg, which commissioned a similar study last year. The study did not specify the nature or extent of the additional burdens for private households, companies, and the state budget.
It is worth noting that the VNW, known as the association of landlords with values, has a history of demonstrating that climate protection and affordable housing can go hand in hand. Over the past decades, social landlords in Schleswig-Holstein have invested several hundred million euros in the energy-efficient renovation of their residential buildings.
For further information, contact Oliver Schirg from the Communications Department of the VNW at +49 40 52011 226, mobile: +49 151 6450 2897, or email: [email protected].
Meanwhile, in Hamburg, residents will decide in a referendum on October 12 whether the Hanseatic city should bring forward its climate neutrality target from 2045 to 2040. The potential impacts of this decision on rents and social hardships remain to be seen. Some unspecified sources claim that Schleswig-Holstein is currently in an ecological blind flight, but the specifics of this claim are yet to be clarified.
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