Thursday 19, October
Deutsche Wohnen apartment building without water or heat since July
For three months now, the residents of a high-rise apartment building in Gropiusstadt have been living without access to water or heating, according to reporting by Tagesspiegel. The 14-storey building is currently home to around 200 people.
On July 7th, a fire broke out in the basement of the building, quickly spreading to the utility rooms – melting pipes and seriously damaging the building’s technical equipment. A fire expert from the State Criminal Police Office is currently investigating suspicions of arson.
With temperatures now dropping below freezing at night, the building’s landlord wants to distribute electric heaters to residents, although only one heater can be used per apartment so as to not overload the power line. The controversial Berlin housing company Deutsche Wohnen, who owns the building, will contribute €5 per heater per day towards electricity costs until the building’s heating is up and running again.
In similar makeshift fashion, the landlord has set up 20 showers and toilets, as well as laundry facilities, in front of the building. According to the landlord, the heating and water should be working again by December 12th.
