There was great excitement: a photo of a notice from the Dippoldiswalde housing association (Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district) spread on social media, in which tenants were informed that heating and hot water would only be available at certain times.
Reason: Savings should be made for the winter. The letter is real, but it is not legal!
This photo of the notice is:

Accordingly, the shared apartment wants to turn off the heating completely until September and only turn on hot water at certain times... so if you want to take a hot shower between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m., you're out of luck.
Incidentally, this is not the first notice of this kind from the housing association: it was already announced in January that heating and hot water would be turned off from 10 p.m.

No, that's not legal!
Several media outlets have now contacted Federal Construction Minister Klara Geywitz and the German Tenants' Association to find out whether the housing association's approach is even possible.
- Federal Construction Minister Klara Geywitz : “ Simply turning off the hot water temporarily is illegal. “
- Jutta Hartmann from the German Tenants' Association : “ Such a restriction is only possible if all tenants in a house expressly agree. Otherwise it is legally inadmissible. The landlord is obliged to ensure that the apartment is used in accordance with the contract. And that also includes the hot water supply – around the clock so that you have to be able to take a warm shower even at night. “
- Florian Bau from the Tenants' Association in Saxony : “ An apartment is free of defects if hot water is available 24 hours a day. If this is not the case, residents could possibly reduce the rent. “
If there is no consent from all tenants, there is a defect in the apartment if it is no longer possible to heat, shower or bathe at certain times - which justifies a rent reduction!
Rent Reduction page also emphasizes that the landlord is obliged to keep the technical water supply system in operation around the clock all year round.
Rent reduction is possible
If the landlord does not respond to an objection to switching off the heating and hot water, an immediate rent reduction is possible. According to a ruling by the Cologne District Court, a lack of hot water supply between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. justifies a rent reduction of 7.5%.
However, to be on the safe side, you should first contact a lawyer or a tenants' association to find out how realistically high a rent reduction can be without the landlord countersuing and terminating the apartment.
Better method: give energy saving tips!
So instead of forcing tenants to have cold water at certain times, it is more advisable for a landlord to post tips on how to save energy. At the moment, no one knows whether and for how long we will still have enough gas available in the winter months, which is why it is in everyone's not to be too wasteful with heating and hot water.
Conclusion
Of course, there are certain “rebels” who now boast on social networks that they are now taking hot showers even more often because they don’t want to be told anything. Slow clap. You are real heroes. What a sense of community. But nothing is prescribed at all, just a request to pay attention to your own energy consumption - and that's really not too much to ask.
It is unlikely that other housing associations will follow suit and also limit heating and hot water to certain times, because - as explained - they can then expect rent reductions if not all tenants agree.
But if this is the case for you, then you know what to do: complain to the landlord and, if there is no response, reduce the rent.
Also interesting:
The cell phone rings, the display shows an unknown number and the recorded message from an alleged law enforcement agency warns that the social security number is about to be blocked - this is how a current scam begins.
– German pension insurance warns of new fraud
If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:
📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.
Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!
* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

