Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – According to a media report, Baden-Württemberg will offer owners of single-family homes free advice from architects from April. The target group is primarily single people for whom their house has become too big, as Construction Minister Nicole Razavi (CDU) told the “Schwäbische Zeitung” (Saturday).
During the consultation, construction experts should show ways of dividing a property into two apartments, for example, and making it barrier-free. “The municipalities get a bonus of 400 euros from us so that they can offer free architectural advice to citizens who want to share their house,” said the CDU politician, according to the report. The municipality uses the money to pay for the initial consultation with the architect.
The aim is to create new living space and at the same time enable older people to live longer in their house, as the “Schwäbische Zeitung” further reported. The model for the state-wide program is an initiative from the Ravensburg district. The CDU politician emphasized that it is not about telling people with a raised index finger what to do with their property. “Politics shouldn’t work like that.” Instead, the project shows the communities of Bodnegg, Schlier, Waldburg and Grünkraut how things can be done better – with personal contact and advice. 77 inquiries, 16 conversions and 14 ongoing projects prove their success. “We will now roll out this model nationwide as a consulting bonus.”
However, such aid is only a building block to relax the situation on the housing market. Politicians should not only continue to increase requirements, for example, for the energy efficiency of houses.
