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Category: 4 – LIVING -ENG

Receipts: It’s better to keep them

Keeping receipts has several advantages. For one thing, it makes it easier to see where all the money has gone at the end of the month. Secondly, there is an important reason for buying household appliances or a new cell phone: the warranty. Customers have a right to have the device exchanged or repaired if it has a defect within the first two years. But because you have to prove that you actually bought the device from a particular retailer, it’s important to keep the receipt, advises the Bavarian Consumer Center. Experts also advise copying the receipt, as the blue… Read More

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How to find an apartment

It is difficult to find an apartment in Tübingen and the surrounding area because many people work or study in the city and therefore want to live here. That’s why the apartments are also expensive. It is somewhat easier in the communities around Tübingen. Many apartments are offered in daily newspapers in Germany. In Tübingen (also Rottenburg and Mössingen) this is the Schwäbische Tagblatt, in Reutlingen (also Kirchentellinsfurt, Kusterdingen and Gomaringen) the Reutlinger General-Anzeiger. Especially on Saturday and Wednesday you can find offers there under the heading “Rentals”. With Ebay classified advertisements (https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-wohnung-mieten/c203) one can search free of charge. Further… Read More

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High energy costs: help in cases of hardship

Tübingen residents who are threatened by poverty can get financial help. It is about their energy costs—especially back payments for heating and electricity. Single people can get a one-time grant of 600 euros, households with several people can get up to 1000 euros. The subsidy depends on the energy costs and the personal financial circumstances of those seeking assistance, but is independent of the energy supplier. Financial assistance is available if income is below certain limits, if there are hardly any assets and no other state benefits are possible. The city and the Stadtwerke Tübingen have created a hardship fund… Read More

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Entitlement to household help

Anyone who is no longer able to run their household due to illness, pregnancy, childbirth or a cure can apply to the health insurance fund for household help. This is possible under the following conditions: The applicant belongs to a statutory health insurance fund and needs a medical certificate. No one else living in the family can take over the household management. A child under 12 years of age or a disabled child lives in the household. However, this is not necessary in the case of complaints during pregnancy or after birth. Household help can also be applied for by… Read More

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A brake on energy prices

The enormous increase in energy costs is a heavy burden. That is why the Bundestag and Bundesrat have passed a law: The price brakes for gas, district heating and electricity have been in force since March 1. They also apply retroactively for January and February of this year and for the time being until the end of 2023. This means for customers of the energy suppliers: 80 percent of their electricity consumption forecast in September 2022 they will receive at a price of 40 cents per kilowatt hour. 80 percent of the forecast gas consumption will be capped at 12… Read More

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Rent increase: Where to find information

When you receive a letter from your landlord announcing a rent increase, it can be quite a shock. If you want to be sure that you won’t be paying too much money in the future, there are several places you can go for information. In addition, according to Stiftung Warentest, the tenant must agree to the increase. For example, the city of Tübingen provides information on its homepage about the requirements (https://www.tuebingen.de/26317.html). According to this, the landlord may only raise the rent by 15 percent within three years. This is because a cap applies in Tübingen in view of the… Read More

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Help for migrants in the search for housing

People who immigrate from abroad or come to Germany as refugees are confronted with the challenge of looking for and finding a new apartment in Germany. Of course, having your own apartment is part of arriving and staying. However, the search for an apartment is often associated with many difficulties. Especially in the larger cities, housing is scarce and demand is high. The Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction (bmwsb) offers help and advice to migrants in their search for housing. In a brochure, there are many tips on how to find your own apartment as quickly as… Read More

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Tübingen turns lanterns back on at night

Street lamps in Tübingen may not be switched off at night. This was ordered by the Tübingen regional council. The reason: according to current law, crosswalks must be illuminated in the dark. For technical reasons, however, individual lanterns in Tübingen cannot be controlled separately. Therefore, all street lamps remain on all night long. According to the city itself, switching off the lanterns had saved a lot of electricity: per night, the annual consumption of a four-person household. The reaction of Lord Mayor Boris Palmer can be found at https://www.tuebingen.de/1620.html#/38911. tun23012501 www.tuenews.de Tübingen bei Nacht. Foto: tünews INTERNATIONAL / Mostafa Elyasian.… Read More

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Federal Constitutional Court: Reduced social benefits in collective accommodation are unconstitutional

The Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht (BVerfG)) has objected to the 10 per cent lower “special needs level” of social benefits for single adult asylum seekers in collective accommodation. This new regulation in the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, passed by the German Bundestag in 2019, violates the fundamental right to be guaranteed a minimum subsistence level in human dignity (Article 1 and Article 20 of the Basic Law), the Federal Constitutional Court announced in a press release dated 24 November 2022. The decision concerns single adults who live in so-called collective accommodation and have been legally residing in the Federal Republic… Read More

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Long wait for housing benefit

“More housing benefit for more people.” This is what the Bundestag and the Bundesrat decided. From January 2023, around two million households—instead of 600,000 households so far—are to receive housing benefit. The housing allowance is to be increased by an average of 190 euros per month to 370 euros from next year. According to the federal government, about 380,000 people will no longer have to rely on social assistance or unemployment benefit II. However, long waiting times for the processing of applications must be expected because of a lack of staff at the housing allowance offices, among other reasons. Attention!… Read More

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