Apartment swap: GBO creates incentive to move out of an apartment that has become too big
25.07.2022 – When adult children leave home, some parents have more space, others too much. Even after a separation, one or the other is often left alone in a large apartment. Vacuum cleaners, ironing boards and rolls of wrapping paper then accumulate in the unused room, but it still needs to be cleaned and draws the heat from the occupied rooms. At the same time, many young families are urgently looking for a new home with more rooms.
GBO Gemeinnützige Baugesellschaft GmbH der Stadtwerke Offenbach is now launching an apartment exchange campaign for tenants of its portfolio of around 5,000 apartments. Residents of larger apartments will be given priority for smaller apartments in their area if they so wish. And they should not pay more rent than before. "The idea of swapping apartments according to the number of residents is an obvious one, but so far apartment swap offers have usually failed due to these two obstacles: The residents of the apartment that has become too big want to stay in their beloved surroundings - and smaller apartments are often significantly more expensive than the current place they rented a long time ago at a comparatively low price due to the rapid rise in rents in recent years," says Martin Wilhelm, Head of Social Affairs and Chairman of the GBO Supervisory Board. "It is therefore good that the municipal housing association is now tackling the issue with a focus on these hurdles."
The GBO sees an opportunity for compensation, especially when it comes to rent: as a comparatively low rent is currently paid for the larger apartments that have been occupied for many years, more money could be taken in the event of a new tenancy. This would be taken into account when setting the rent for the smaller apartment.
"We don't want to force anyone out of their large apartment," emphasizes GBO Managing Director Daniela Matha. "Anyone who uses all of their rooms should not feel targeted by this campaign. However, we would be delighted if there are tenants in our large apartments who would prefer a smaller home anyway and see this incentive as an incentive to move." The GBO staff will also be happy to provide advice on non-binding inquiries by calling 069/840004-440.