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Distance: Some Berlin valuation offices have to close 

Betting outlets in Berlin that operate without a permit and do not comply with the minimum distance to gaming arcades (500 meters) or schools (200 meters) must be temporarily closed. This was recently decided by the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court (OVG) (OVG 1 S 5/23). The ruling confirms several decisions by the Berlin Administrative Court...

Rent: Judgment on repayments 

A tenant cannot reclaim rent that has been paid in excess if it is paid by a benefit provider such as a job center. This was recently decided by the Berlin Regional Court (case reference: 64 S 190/21). The case in question involved a tenant who had sued his landlord for repayment. The district court dismissed the claim because the tenant was receiving social benefits and was therefore not entitled to...

Neighborhood dispute: mock cypress must give way 

A dispute over a cypress tree on the property boundary of two neighbors in Trudering recently occupied the Munich District Court (case no. 155 C 10864/18). The roots of the cypress tree, which stands on the defendant's property, are said to have lifted the neighbor's garage foundation. The door could hardly be opened. Cracks had also appeared in the side wall of the garage. The...

BGH ruling: Reservation fees for estate agents invalid 

The agreement of reservation fees in the general terms and conditions of real estate agents is invalid. This was recently decided by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). The decision also applies to cases in which the reservation fee is not included in the original brokerage contract but was agreed separately at a later date. Customers can therefore claim the reservation fee paid...

Decision: Housing right can be deleted 

A creditor can extinguish a landowner's right of residence if the landowner is insolvent. This was recently decided by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH, V ZB 64/21). In the case in question, a property owner of a developed plot of land contributed it to a civil law partnership (GbR). The GbR was in turn entered in the land register and an entry of the...

Property tax: associations want to sue 

The taxpayers' association and the property owners' association Haus und Grund want to take legal action against property tax in five federal states. This is according to various media reports. One of the reasons for this is a study commissioned by the two associations. In this study, it becomes clear that the constitutional lawyer Gregor Kirchhoff considers the tax system applied in numerous...

Ruling: Approval required 

A tenant may not rent an apartment in order to sublet it to a third party. This also applies if the letting is only for a short period of time. This was recently decided by the Local Court of Frankfurt am Main (AZ: 940 OWi 862 Js 45753/22). In this case, the defendant rented a three-room apartment in Frankfurt am Main and sublet it. He offered the three-room apartment to...

Judgment: Mandatory portion penalty clause does not always apply 

For a compulsory portion penalty clause in a so-called Berlin will to be valid, third parties must actually inherit something. If this is not the case, they do not face any penalties. This has now been decided by the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Frankfurt am Main (decision of 21.2.2023, 21 W 104/22). In this case, the spouses appointed each other as sole heirs. The man had inherited from his previous marriage...

Equities: New sentiment indicator published 

The Hamburg-based agency for financial and corporate communications Kirchhoff Consult AG recently published the "Real Estate Stock Sentiment Indicator 2023". The sentiment indicator shows that analysts' basic sentiment remains at a low level of 3.8 points (H1 2023). Previously (H2 2022), analysts' basic sentiment was still at 4.5 points, with the possible scale...

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