Status: December 19, 2021 2:53 p.m.
In times of horrific real estate prices, interest in small houses is growing. But finding a parking space is often difficult in Germany. What are the chances of this type of living?
Apartment, villa, bungalow, row house or semi-detached house: the variety of living space is great in Germany. However, authorities and municipalities in many places have so far struggled with new building forms; among other things with so-called Tiny Houses, English for “little houses”. A definition is sought in vain in the Duden as well as in German building law, and the size is also not defined. Usually one speaks of a tiny house with up to 50 square meters. If the houses are mounted on a chassis, the area is often only about 25 square meters.
Reliable figures on how many tiny houses there are now in Germany do not yet exist. Nevertheless, according to the “Tiny House Association”, interest in the small houses is growing continuously. According to the association, more than 500 tiny houses are built by more than 75 manufacturers in Germany every year. Internet search queries on the subject at Google have continued to increase over the past five years – with a peak in the pandemic around the turn of the year 2020/2021.
Retirement provision on four wheels
If you want to live permanently in a tiny house, you have to be prepared for the fact that the search for a parking space will not be easy or, in extreme cases, may even fail. That was the case with Thorsten Thane from Wolfratshausen in Upper Bavaria. For months he tinkered and tinkered with his house on wheels. The tiny house was his lifelong dream and, at the same time, his retirement provision: “I have been self-employed for a long time and have been abroad for a long time, but when I see what is on my pension notification, it was very clear to me: I will not be able to make a living from it.”
Thane’s idea: a tiny house village in the Wolfratshausen region. He presented this plan to local politicians a few years ago and met with great reservations. He and his colleagues then founded the association “simply-live-together” and went looking for a lease plot where they could park their tiny houses. The requirements for such a property are high, because as soon as a tiny house is permanently inhabited, it is considered a property with the same requirements as a single-family house. Then connections to the street, water, sewer system and much more will be necessary.
Despite an intensive search, no suitable owner was found in and around Wolfratshausen who was willing to make his property available. Thane suspects that the potential landlords feared the displeasure in the community too much. The city of Wolfratshausen and its mayor Klaus Heilinglechner cannot understand that – they are fundamentally positive about tiny houses. After several years with no prospect of a parking space, Thane gave up and sold his tiny house.
Searched for and found a parking space
Owners have had more success elsewhere: Vroni and Thomas Börnicke have parked their 25-square-meter house in Hallstadt near Bamberg. There the 25 square meter house stands on an undeveloped building plot in the middle of the residential area. It is connected to the public network and receives water and electricity like a normal house without a basement.
The tiny house is well received in the residential area. “The neighbors think the house is great. They were all curious, had questions and wanted to see the tiny house,” says Vroni Börnicke. She and her husband Jonas appreciate the relatively low lease and acquisition costs compared to a conventional property, as well as the flexibility that their little house offers them, because in the best case scenario they can just take it with them.
It doesn’t work without support
Thomas Söder, the mayor of Hallstadt, supported the Börnickes in their plans. From his point of view, this type of living offers new opportunities for the small town: “The living space is very, very scarce because we have a large influx. The construction costs have risen enormously. The land prices have risen enormously, and we would like young people in our Place also have a future. ”
It is clear to the Börnickes that they had to rely on the city’s support: “The community definitely has to be open, and if it isn’t, you can always find a reason that doesn’t allow you to.” But more and more Bavarian municipalities see an opportunity in the small form of living – and so projects are currently emerging across the state.