The Westpark in Ingolstadt could also be a green space in name alone, but of course this Westpark is really just a shopping center again, a good bit away from the real city center by the way. In contrast to that, however, the area around the shops in the West Park is heated if required, which is why the owners of the around 150 shops are anxiously awaiting the coming heating bills.
What they didn’t expect is the statement that Westpark owner Edeka recently sent to them. Surcharge, of course, and if someone has been a tenant long enough in Westpark, which was built in 1996, then it will be all the more juicy. A lot has happened in 20 years.
One is 60,000 euros, the other 90,000, depending on the rental period and the size of the store. For hairdresser Peter Treubel, who runs three salons for different target groups in Westpark, it is around 100,000 euros. According to his own statements, Volker Beitler is supposed to pay more than 1.5 million euros for his 4000 square meter gym. The money will be withdrawn from the account shortly.
Not only these sums and the period of two decades contributed to the dismay of the tenants, but also the fact that there have been annual and even monthly settlements during all this time. They were always paid for, says the manager of the shopping center. And of course, the timing is extremely unfortunate. But you only make a “justified claim” for “heating costs that have arisen over the years”. Unfortunately, the advance payments required for this were too low, says the managing director, but he can’t really explain why, given 20 annual and 240 monthly statements, no one had thought of it before. There were several reasons, including a change of service provider.
Apparently all of this is legal, Treubel and Beitler have also been told by their lawyer. Accordingly, such claims in the commercial sector only expire after 20 years. However, many tenants have not yet paid, because then, after a few bankruptcies, Westpark would soon have to look for new shop operators. Instead, the managing director, in his own words, is now looking for a conversation.