The price of gas has doubled within a year, and further increases are to be expected. Housing companies fear that many tenants will not be able to pay for it.
Munich (dpa / lby) - Bavaria's tenants are faced with an immense increase in heating costs. According to calculations by the Association of Bavarian Housing Companies (VdW), passing on the current gas prices to tenants in full would mean annual additional costs of 1,700 euros on average. More than half of the almost 500 member companies fear a high or very high risk of payment defaults among their tenants due to the rapidly rising energy prices. The VdW reported on Sunday after an internal survey.
The 1700 euro forecast is based on the current kilowatt hour prices of over 13 cents, and the expected further price increases for gas are not included. The VdW mainly includes socially oriented housing companies with a total of 560,000 apartments, mainly cooperatives and municipal companies with low rents. The rent including heating would therefore increase by a quarter on average.
"Our members are aware of the great responsibility for tenant households," said association director Hans Maier. "Many people live with the housing cooperatives, municipal and church housing companies who cannot easily afford the rising prices."
According to the VdW, 30 percent of the housing companies still have ongoing gas supply contracts with fixed prices until December 31 of this year, and another 29 percent until December 31, 2023. "But some housing companies are already paying more than 13 cents per kilowatt hour and it's just a question of who Time until the high energy prices fully hit the housing industry," said Maier.
