New statutes in Leipzig: Maximum rental period of holiday apartments limited

New statutes in Leipzig: Maximum rental period of holiday apartments limited

Leipzig: Measures to maintain living space and against speculation with real estate

The city of Leipzig has decided to regulate the renting of holiday apartments more strictly via online platforms. According to a new statute, apartments may only be rented out as holiday accommodations for a maximum of twelve weeks a year without a permit being required. In addition, it is necessary to obtain special permission to leave apartments empty for more than a year.

Measure to protect the tight living space

The main goal of this new regulation is to protect the limited living space in Leipzig. On the one hand, permanent apartments are to be prevented, on the other hand, speculative level of housing is to be contained. The measure is initially limited to five years.

opposite against misused apartments

According to an expert opinion from 2019, less than 0.2 percent of all apartments in Leipzig make up permanent apartments, which corresponds to around 600 apartments in the urban area. However, misused apartments are a bigger problem for commercial purposes because they are lost as living space. It is estimated that around 500 apartments are misused annually, while a total of 12,000 of the 340,000 apartments in Leipzig are empty.

The city of Leipzig is striving to ensure a balanced use of the living space and to counteract speculations with real estate.

- Nag