When can I let my apartment in Germany to tourists?

"On online portals like Airbnb you can offer private holiday accommodation and make good money with it. But this is not always legal.

Air mattress and breakfast - Airbed and Breakfast: The original idea is still in the name. Airbnb was launched 15 years ago as an online marketplace for private accommodation. Uncomplicated, cool, not as impersonal as in a hotel, but as a guest with friends and right in the middle of their lives - Airbnb and other brokerage platforms for private accommodation try to keep this myth alive, even though the sharing idea has long since become a highly lucrative business model is, often also for the apartment owners. 

Because with short-term rentals, especially in big cities, you can earn significantly more money than on the regular rental market.

And as an owner, can't you do whatever you want with your apartment, rent it out for a short time or for a long time? "In principle yes," says Oliver Elzer, a judge in Berlin and an expert on residential property law, "as an owner you can also rent out by the day or week." 

Nevertheless, there are limits - and they are set by the municipalities.

With every apartment that is only rented to vacationers, medical tourists or business travelers, the number of apartments available for the locals decreases. Affordable rental housing is already a scarce commodity in many large cities, which is why numerous municipalities restrict short-term rentals - meaning rentals for just a few days or weeks. There is no national regulation. 

If you want to rent, you have to ask your city or municipality how they deal with the topic of "misappropriation of living space".

For example, in some places individual rooms may be offered as sleeping places, but not the entire apartment. Registration is often required, and sometimes official approval is also required, for example in Berlin or Hamburg. In Stuttgart it is forbidden to use an apartment for more than ten weeks a year "for the purpose of third-party accommodation", but renting it out during a longer absence, for example a trip abroad lasting several weeks, is permitted.

In Munich, too, it is forbidden to rent out an apartment or house exclusively as a holiday home. Individual rooms, on the other hand, can be offered on the brokerage platforms, up to a maximum of 50 percent of the living space - and the entire, otherwise self-occupied dwelling, for example during a stay abroad, too, but only for a maximum of eight weeks a year.

Violations can be expensive: in the past five years, the housing protection team of the building supervision in Frankfurt am Main tracked down more than 1000 illegal holiday homes and received fines of two million euros. The cities also rely on attentive neighbors. In Munich, for example, there is an online registration form for this.

Even if holiday guests disturb: the community of owners is largely powerless

Nevertheless, says lawyer Oliver Elzer, "the gray market is huge". And regardless of whether it's legal or illegal, the constant coming and going around the house can become a real burden for homeowners. "Total strangers in the facility, noise, dirt in the stairwell, that's a real problem, especially in big cities like Berlin with lots of party tourists," says Elzer.

In principle, every owner is obliged to select their tenants carefully and not to rent to known troublemakers, "but it can hardly be proven that they were not careful, they usually do not know the tenants beforehand," explains the expert on residential property law. The other owners and the community of owners can hardly do anything against a holiday apartment in the house: "Theoretically, you can subsequently prohibit short-term rentals in the community regulations, but all owners have to agree, including those who rent to tourists," says Elzer . Rather unrealistic that they deprive their own business model of the basis. 

In the case of new residential complexes, however, there is certainly the possibility of designing the community regulations accordingly. "Anyone who buys can pay attention to this fact," says Elzer.

Otherwise, only the house rules remain to define the rules of togetherness in the house, for example the quiet times. "As a landlord, you should draft the rental agreement accordingly, agree on the house rules and signal to your holiday guests that you expect consideration for the household," advises Elzer.

By the way: The income from a short-term rental must be taxed. Tax-free only remains if your total income is below the annual basic allowance of currently 10,908 euros or if you have not earned more than 520 euros with the rental - whether you offer a luxury booth or just an air mattress does not matter."

Akumuliatoriai, vienintelis brangiausias elektromobilių komponentas, atpigo, todėl mažėja bendros kainos

„Automobilių pirkėjams įsivyrauja nauja realybė: nebūtinai reikia mokėti daugiau, kad važiuotum elektra.

 

     Yra keletas kvalifikacinių varžybų, tačiau esmė yra potencialiai reikšmingas pokytis.

 

     Pastaruoju metu kainoms mažėjant, kai kurių elektrinių transporto priemonių įsigijimo ir eksploatavimo sąnaudos per kelerius metus dabar yra maždaug tokios pat, kaip ir benzinu varomų transporto priemonių. Tam įtakos turi didelės vyriausybės subsidijos, kurias gali gauti elektromobilių pirkėjai. Tačiau kai kuriais atvejais elektromobilių ir jų įprastinių ekvivalentų kaina yra lygi, net ir be jų.

 

     Tiesa, daugelio elektrinių transporto priemonių sąrašo kaina vis dar didesnė, nei jų benzininių ekvivalentų. Tačiau ta spraga mažėja. Kai kurių transporto priemonių degalų ir priežiūros sąnaudų sutaupymas gali kompensuoti šį skirtumą per 2–5 metus.

 

     Yra ir kitų priežasčių, kodėl elektromobiliai tampa patrauklesni, įskaitant įkrovimo technologijos patobulinimus ir viešųjų įkroviklių prieinamumą.

 

     Tačiau pagrindinė mažėjančio sąnaudų skirtumo priežastis yra mažėjanti baterijų paketų kaina – vienintelė brangiausia elektromobilių sudedamoji dalis.

 

     Už mažėjančias tų baterijų kainas galime padėkoti dviem dalykams. Viena iš jų yra masto ekonomija. Vietiniai ir tarptautiniai gamintojai žymiai geriau gamina baterijas.

 

     Kitas ne mažiau svarbus veiksnys yra laipsniškas ir dažnai nepastebimas daugybės technologinių baterijų gamybos proceso patobulinimų per pastarąjį dešimtmetį atsiradimas.

 

     „Akumuliatorių sąnaudos labiausiai prisideda prie bendro elektromobilių kainų pokyčio“, – sako Paulas Augustine'as, važiavimo pasidalijimo bendrovės „Lyft“ tvarumo direktorius. „Pastebėjome, kad nuo 2010 m. iki 2020 m. sąnaudos sumažėjo 90 proc.

 

     Nuo pat pirmųjų elektrinių transporto priemonių laikų skeptikai ir šalininkai įrodinėjo, kad kol elektromobiliai nekainuos tiek pat, kiek benzinu varomos transporto priemonės, greičiausiai dauguma žmonių nekeis.

 

     Tai paskatino beveik vieningą dėmesį sumažinti baterijų kainą. Tai ne tik tai, kad mokslininkai ir inžinieriai sugalvojo, kaip pigiau pagaminti baterijas. Jie taip pat mokosi gaminti naujų tipų baterijas, kuriose naudojami mažiau brangių komponentų.

 

     Kai kurie, pavyzdžiui, nauji geležies pagrindu pagaminti akumuliatoriai, žinomi kaip LFP, kuriuos kai kuriuose modeliuose naudoja „Tesla“, o ateityje ir „Volkswagen“ bei „Ford“, nenaudoja metalų, tokių kaip nikelis ir kobaltas, kurie vis dažniau tiekiami. suvaržytas ir brangus.

 

     Geležies baterijos dabar sudaro beveik trečdalį visų elektrinių transporto priemonių akumuliatorių visame pasaulyje, ir ši dalis gali toliau augti, sako Ryanas Castilloux, „Adamas Intelligence“ generalinis direktorius.

 

     Robbie Orvis yra vyresnysis energetikos ir klimato politikos ekspertų grupės „Energy Innovation“ modeliavimo ir analizės direktorius. Neseniai jis paskelbė dokumentą, kuriame nustatyta, kad daug naujų EV turėti ir eksploatuoti yra pigiau nei jų benzino ekvivalentai, kas mėnesį.

 

     Paimkime, pavyzdžiui, Mustang Mach-E, populiarų „Ford“ elektrinį krosoverį. Tai skiriasi priklausomai nuo vietos, tačiau, pasak Edmundso, bazinis modelis iš viso kainuotų apie 46 000 USD, jei pirkėjas jį pirktų grynaisiais Naujajame Džersyje. Darant prielaidą, kad vienkartinis 2 000 USD mokesčių kreditas – suma skiriasi, bet tai yra žemiausia riba, ko vartotojas gali tikėtis – visos tokios transporto priemonės įsigijimo išlaidos per 5 metus, įskaitant nusidėvėjimo, draudimo, kuro ir priežiūros išlaidas. , taip pat yra apie 46 000 USD. Federalinis mokesčių kreditas ir valstijos kreditai galėtų dar sumažinti šią sumą tiems, kurie turi teisę.

 

     Palyginkite tai su panašiu dujomis varomu Toyota RAV4. Pasak Edmundso, jei pirkėjas sumoka grynaisiais ir perka juos toje pačioje vietoje, RAV4 kainuoja apie 34 000 USD. Tačiau, daugiausia dėl benzino sąnaudų, bendra RAV4 nuosavybės kaina per 5 metus yra apie 45 000 USD.

 

     Panašius skaičiavimus galima atlikti ir žemos klasės elektromobiliams, įskaitant Chevrolet Bolt, pigiausią elektromobilį Amerikoje, kurio kaina yra 26 500 USD. Tai yra maždaug 2500 USD daugiau nei panašiai benzinu varoma „Hyundai Kona“, kurios matmenys ir krovinių talpa yra panašūs. Darant prielaidą, kad per metus nuvažiuojama 15 000 mylių ir įkraunama daugiausia namuose, „Bolt“ gali lengvai kompensuoti šį skirtumą tik sutaupydama degalų, o per pirmuosius porą metų, pasak Edmundso, jis priklauso žmogui.

 

     Tai neapima valstybinių ir federalinių mokesčių lengvatų, kuriomis gali pasinaudoti tokio varžto pirkėjas. Daugeliui pirkėjų dėl šių paskatų net išankstinė „Bolt“ kaina yra gerokai mažesnė už benzino ekvivalentą. Tikra prasme federalinė vyriausybė nusprendė mokėti vairuotojams, kad jie važiuotų elektra.

 

     Transporto ir atsinaujinančios energijos duomenis kaupiančios „BloombergNEF“ duomenimis, 2022 metais elektromobilio akumuliatoriaus kaina, palyginti su praėjusiais metais, pakilo 6,9 proc. Pagrindinė to priežastis buvo išaugusios daugumoje elektromobilių naudojamų akumuliatorių komponentų, įskaitant ličio, nikelio ir kobalto, kainos.

 

     Tai sukėlė baimę, kad elektromobilių revoliucija gali būti suvaržytas ateinančius dešimtmečius. Tačiau atsitiko keli dalykai.

 

     Pirma, nauji šių svarbių mineralų šaltiniai greitai atsirado internete, kai pasaulio ekonomika atvėso ir vartotojai atsisakė pirkti naujas transporto priemones ir plataus vartojimo elektroniką. Pastaraisiais mėnesiais tai sumažino kainas.

 

     Tuo pačiu metu automobilių pramonė sparčiai pradėjo naudoti geležies baterijų technologiją.

 

     Kinijoje įsikūrę baterijų gamintojai, naudodamiesi didelėmis Kinijos vyriausybės subsidijomis, padidino gamybos pajėgumus, kad galėtų juos gaminti dideliu mastu. Tokios baterijos dabar maitina daugumą EV Kinijoje ir yra galimybė kai kuriuose „Tesla Model 3“ automobiliuose JAV. „Ford“ įsipareigojo importuoti jas iš Kinijos ir naudoti kai kuriose savo transporto priemonėse. „Ford“ taip pat įsipareigojo Mičigane pastatyti 3,5 milijardo dolerių vertės gamyklą, kad galėtų juos gaminti, padedant Kinijos šiuolaikinei Amperex technologijai.

 

     JAV buitinėje elektronikoje ir daugumoje elektromobilių naudojamos baterijos, kuriose yra nikelio ir kobalto, yra tankesnės energijos, o tai reiškia, kad jos gali suteikti automobiliams didesnį atstumą.

 

     Kita vertus, geležies baterijos yra pigesnės, tvirtesnės ir gali tarnauti ilgiau.

 

     Yra priežasčių manyti, kad artimiausiu metu elektromobiliai gali tapti dar pigesni už įprastinius ekvivalentus.

 

     Konsultacijų įmonės „AlixPartners“ duomenimis, pasaulio automobilių gamintojai 2026 m. bendrai išleis daugiau nei pusę trilijono dolerių elektromobiliams gaminti ir kurti. Šios investicijos, papildytos milijardais dolerių pagal Investicijų į infrastruktūrą ir darbo vietų įstatymą, leis pasiekti tolesnę masto ekonomiją kuriant elektromobilius.

 

     P. Augustine'as iš Lyft sako, kad kai kurie bendrovės vairuotojai, nuvažiuojantys šimtus mylių per savaitę, jau daugelį metų pastebėjo, kad esamų elektromobilių turėjimas ir eksploatavimas kainuoja pigiau nei benzininių transporto priemonių. Jis priduria, kad elektromobilių kainoms ir toliau krentant, o modeliams daugėjant, daug didesnė pavėžėjimo kompanijų vairuotojų dalis pereis prie EV.

 

     Vykstant šiam perėjimui, dujomis varomų transporto priemonių pirkėjai netrukus gali atsidurti precedento neturinčioje padėtyje: jie turės mokėti priemoką, kad laikytųsi paskutinės kartos technologijų.

1.  EXCHANGE --- Keywords: Electric Shock: Plug-Ins Get Cheaper --- Batteries, EVs' single most expensive component, are getting cheaper, bringing down overall prices
Mims, Christopher.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 04 Mar 2023: B.2.

Batteries, EVs' single most expensive component, are getting cheaper, bringing down overall prices

"For car buyers, a new reality is setting in: You don't necessarily have to pay more to go electric.

There are some qualifiers, but the bottom line is a potentially momentous change.

With recent price declines, the cost to to buy and operate some electric vehicles over several years is now roughly on par with their gasoline-powered counterparts. The considerable government subsidies available to EV buyers play a part in this. But in some cases, EVs and their conventional equivalents are at cost parity even without those.

It's true that many electric vehicles still have a higher list price than their gas equivalents. But that gap is closing. For some vehicles, savings on fuel and maintenance costs can make up that difference over 2 to 5 years.

There are other reasons EVs are becoming more attractive, including improvements in charging technology and the availability of public chargers. 

But the main reason for the disappearing cost gap is the declining price of battery packs -- the single most expensive component in EVs.

We can thank two things for the falling cost of those batteries. One is economies of scale. Domestic and international producers have gotten substantially better at churning out batteries.

The other factor, just as important, is the gradual -- and often overlooked -- accretion of countless technological improvements to the battery-manufacturing process over the past decade.

"Battery costs are the biggest contributor to the overall change in the cost of EVs," says Paul Augustine, director of sustainability at ride-sharing company Lyft. "We've seen that cost drop 90% from 2010 to 2020."

From the earliest days of electric vehicles, skeptics and proponents have argued that until electric vehicles cost the same as gas-powered ones, most people are unlikely to switch.

This has led to an almost single-minded focus on bringing down batteries' cost. It's not just that scientists and engineers have figured out how to make batteries less expensively. They also are learning to make new kinds of batteries that use fewer expensive components. 

Some, like new iron-based batteries, known as LFP, that are used in some models by Tesla -- and, in the future, by Volkswagen and Ford -- don't use metals such as nickel and cobalt that are increasingly supply-constrained and expensive.

Iron-based batteries now represent nearly a third of all batteries in electric vehicles, worldwide, and that share may continue to grow, says Ryan Castilloux, managing director at Adamas Intelligence.

Robbie Orvis is senior director for modeling and analysis at Energy Innovation, an energy- and climate-policy think tank. He recently published a paper that found that many new EVs are cheaper to own and operate than their gasoline equivalents, on a monthly basis.

Take, for example, the Mustang Mach-E, Ford's popular electric crossover SUV. This varies by location, but the base model would cost around $46,000 total, if the buyer bought it with cash in New Jersey, according to Edmunds. Assuming a one-time $2,000 tax credit -- the amount varies, but that is at the low end of what a consumer can expect -- the total cost to own such a vehicle over 5 years, including depreciation, insurance, fuel and maintenance costs, is coincidentally also about $46,000. A federal tax credit, and state credits, could bring that amount even lower for those eligible.

Compare that with a comparable gas-powered Toyota RAV4. If a buyer pays cash and purchases it in the same location, that RAV4 costs around $34,000, according to Edmunds. But, thanks mainly to gasoline costs, the RAV4's total cost of ownership over 5 years is about $45,000.

Similar calculations can be done for low-end EVs, including the Chevrolet Bolt, the lowest-priced EV in America, with a list price of $26,500. That's about $2,500 more than a comparable gasoline-powered Hyundai Kona, which has similar dimensions and cargo capacity. Assuming it is driven 15,000 miles a year and charged primarily at home, the Bolt can easily make up that difference on fuel savings alone, in the first couple of years a person owns it, according to Edmunds.

That doesn't include state and federal tax breaks a buyer of such a Bolt can take advantage of. For many buyers, those incentives bring even the upfront, cash cost of a Bolt well below its gasoline equivalents. In a very real sense, the federal government decided to pay drivers to go electric.

In 2022, the price of a battery pack for an electric vehicle ticked up 6.9% from the year before, according to BloombergNEF, which compiles data on transportation and renewable energy. The main reason for this was spiking prices for critical components in the batteries used in most EVs, including lithium, nickel and cobalt.

That sparked fears that the EV revolution might be constrained for decades to come. But several things happened.

First, new sources of these critical minerals have rapidly come online, just as the global economy has cooled and consumers have pulled back on purchases of new vehicles and consumer electronics. In recent months this has damped prices.

At the same time, the auto industry has been rapidly adopting iron-based battery technology.

China-based battery manufacturers, using considerable subsidies from the Chinese government, built the manufacturing capacity to make them at scale. Such batteries now power the majority of EVs in China and are an option on some Tesla Model 3s in the U.S. Ford has committed to importing them from China and using them in some of its vehicles. Ford also has committed to building a $3.5 billion factory in Michigan to produce them, with help from China's Contemporary Amperex Technology.

Batteries used in consumer electronics and most electric vehicles in the U.S., which contain nickel and cobalt, are more energy-dense, which means they can give cars longer range. 

Iron-based batteries, on the other hand, are cheaper, tougher and can last longer.

There are reasons to believe EVs could become even cheaper than their conventional equivalents in the near future.

Collectively, the world's auto makers will spend more than half a trillion dollars through 2026 on building and developing EVs, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. That investment, supplemented by billions of dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will lead to further economies of scale in building EVs.

Mr. Augustine, of Lyft, says that some of the company's drivers who clock hundreds of miles a week have for years found that existing EVs cost them less to own and operate than gasoline vehicles. As prices for EVs continue to fall, and models proliferate, a much larger portion of drivers for ride-hailing companies will shift to EVs, and the same will be true for everyday buyers of cars for personal use, he adds.

As this transition unfolds, it could soon put buyers of gas-powered vehicles in an unprecedented position: They'll have to pay a premium to stick with last-generation technology." [1]

1.  EXCHANGE --- Keywords: Electric Shock: Plug-Ins Get Cheaper --- Batteries, EVs' single most expensive component, are getting cheaper, bringing down overall prices
Mims, Christopher.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 04 Mar 2023: B.2.