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Property owners of the Selve Palace in Altena are wrangling with the district government for reconstruction aid, and a lawyer has now been called in. A lot of money is at stake.
Altena – The owners of the Selve Villa on Lüdenscheider Strasse in Altena have been wrangling with the district government for a year and a half over the funds for reconstruction after the 2021 flood. Because they are now almost up to their necks in financial water – to stay with the metaphor – they are being represented by a lawyer, and the sums at stake are very high six figures.
The house belongs to Patryk Wieclawski, Angelo Kaskowi acts as the administrator of the Selve Palace. Wieclawski bought the building, two weeks later the flood hit Altena and caused major damage to the Selve Villa. Wieclawski is not really rich, the purchase of the house was 100 percent financed. Income comes from renting out the apartments and from Wieclawski’s professional activities. He works full-time in the commercial sector at a company in Plettenberg.
Battle with authorities over reconstruction of the Selve Villa: “Always new demands”
The villa is a kind of hobby for exciting real estate projects. Because Wieclawski, as the owner, is represented by a lawyer before the district government and the proceedings are in full swing, Angelo Kaskowi, the manager of the building, spoke to the editorial team.
Angelo Kaskowi stands in the unrenovated basement of the Selve Villa. Three years ago, the flood from the hillside rushed through the building and left behind enormous damage. The owners of the villa are now fighting with a lawyer for reconstruction aid from the state. © Heyn
For a good year and a half, he has done little else than work full-time on the reconstruction and renovation of the more than 200-year-old villa. “I do it as well as I can,” says Kaskowi, referring primarily to the negotiations over funds from the state’s reconstruction aid. The amounts involved are very specific and are known to the editors, but cannot be mentioned here. Kaskowi does not want to suffer any more disadvantages. He feels that the authorities are already overly controlling him. “We have the feeling that the district government is under general suspicion from the start.”
In 2021, homeowner Patryk Wieclawski shoveled mud out of the boiler room, which has not yet been fully renovated. © Kaskowi
When the flood ran through the cellar vaults, hammer trenches and underground drainage, the house was still insured through the previous owner. Due to transitional periods, the new owner had no way of having the natural hazard insurance transferred to him. So they applied for reconstruction aid in the hope of quick and unbureaucratic financial support.
Applying for reconstruction aid is a kind of full-time job
“At the same time, we took out a private loan to pay for the repair of the initial damage,” says Kaskowi. Up until then, everything had been well calculated: “It is not our first real estate project.” Wieclawski and Kaskowi are all the more grateful for the financial help from the Altena Flood Fund and the Catholic parish.
The two-meter distance between the building and the slope probably prevented even greater damage. © Heyn
But then the administrative drama took its course. An expert had to be commissioned to comb through the funding guidelines first. In order to prepare his report, offers had to be obtained. That was in February 2022. In September 2022, a large civil engineering contract was awarded. The expert determined a high amount of damage, 80 percent of which was to be funded. Kaskowi: “The expert at the time could of course not see all of the damage; much of it only became visible when the walls and floors were opened.” An entire water system was discovered under the house. Added to this was the price increase. The expert therefore claimed a large additional expense. In the meantime, 4,000 pages of receipts had accumulated.
The rubble and debris came close to the house, the water ran through the basement. © Kaskowi
Kaskowi: “The district government kept making new demands for lists, justifications and calculations.” In September 2023, the district government suddenly asked for a different appraiser. Kaskowi: “We couldn’t really do anything because we didn’t have a permit. There are open construction sites everywhere.” The new appraiser took over in November 2023 and claimed even higher additional costs because previous prices could no longer be maintained. After that, the relationship between the district government and the owner was apparently cut: the clerk announced a flat-rate cap. Kaskowi: “We would have been satisfied with our first addendum. Waiting made everything more expensive.” This was not their fault.
A lawyer has been involved since February 2024. In mid-May, funds were pledged, but they were a third less than the promised funding. Kaskowi has run out of patience: “We want to get the cap removed in the legal proceedings.”
