A week without water: interim apartment during bathroom renovation
17.06.2022 – There are announcements from the landlord that tenants initially like as much as a stomach ache: for example, when they are told that a string renovation is unavoidable.
This means that all the water pipes - for cold, hot and waste water - in the building have to be replaced and there is no water in the tenants' own apartments for a week. This is what happened to the tenants of the property at Eschstraße 21, which belongs to the municipal utility subsidiary GBO Gemeinnützige Baugesellschaft mbH Offenbach. The pipes in the building, which dates back to 1972, are currently being replaced one by one in all of the almost 70 apartments and will continue to be for some time to come.
Two apartments are always affected at the same time. The replacement itself is straightforward from a technical point of view. However, the residents of the apartments will then be unable to shower, make coffee, run the washing machine, use the toilet or pour old flower water down the sink.
The usual option is to install a mobile bathroom with shower and toilet in front of the building during a renovation and hand over the keys to both tenants affected. "But in this case, GBO was able to offer the tenants a better solution, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic," says Pascal Hahn, project manager for technical building management in GBO's New Buildings team. In the run-up to the renovation, which had been planned for some time, GBO did not re-let two apartments that had become vacant, but renovated them and equipped them with a stove, sink and fridge. They are now available to tenants whose apartments are currently being worked on.
Tenants use the interim solution in different ways
"Such a solution is of course the most pleasant for our tenants during such an unavoidable pipe replacement, but unfortunately it cannot always be implemented in this way," says GBO Managing Director Daniela Matha. "Apartments are not always free during this period, or they can be kept free in good time. But the more units a property has, the more likely it is that someone will move out before then."
The tradespeople will be working in all apartments for a total of 14 days. After the water pipes have been replaced, the construction site will be transformed into a renovated bathroom for another week. The tenants will receive this from GBO as an accommodation for the inconvenience - normally, repairs are only carried out to restore the rooms to their previous state. In this second construction phase, the water can at least run again in the evenings.
The tenants use the interim solution offered in different ways: "Some stay in their own homes during the work and only go to the interim apartment to shower and cook, others are there during the day and sleep at home and some move in completely," says Pascal Hahn. He announced the work in the building months in advance and had personal discussions with many of the residents. Tenants whose apartments are to be renovated next can speak to him again beforehand and point out any personal problems in connection with the renovation. The project manager will then try to find a solution. On request, GBO employees will help older people in particular to move their bed and, if necessary, other furniture into the temporary apartment. If a tenant moves out again because their own apartment can be fully used again, it is disinfected and cleaned before the next tenant moves in. So far, the cooperation between the tenants and the landlord has worked very well thanks to the mutual accommodation, and the work is proceeding as planned.