Family of five loses home after 18 years

It sounds like a bad joke at first, but it’s actually true. Because a father with three children wanted to save energy costs and therefore bought a balcony power plant, the whole family was thrown out after 18 years of tenancy and is now threatened with homelessness.

Balcony power plant ensures termination of rental apartment

Balcony power plants are more popular in Germany than ever before. At least since the abolition of VAT and the resulting sharp fall in prices, the mini solar systems have enjoyed great popularity. For a family of five from Thuringia, however, the small solar system was fatal. Shortly after the father installed the system in 2020, the Ilmenauer Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft (WBG) terminated the 18-year-old lease without notice. After various court hearings and court orders to remove the plant, the family is now threatened with homelessness because the father refuses to dismantle the balcony power plant (source: in southern Thuringia).

The WBG claims that the balcony power plant is a hazard and was not previously reported. The father of the family, on the other hand, assures that he has secured the system well, will take it down in a storm, has taken out extra insurance and has a fire extinguisher ready. That’s not enough for the WBG or the court. An eviction order was issued on January 31, 2023. He doesn’t know where he will take his family if the eviction really takes place.

This is what you need to know about balcony power plants:

Housing cooperative has several requests for balcony power plants

In fact, the family shouldn’t be the only ones interested in a balcony power plant. Several tenants have expressed interest. According to the WBG, these will also allowed if they are registered and meet all legal requirements. It is not known why this should not be the case with the family of five after a rental period of at least 18 years.