First in the hotel for three months instead of in the new apartment

Elke Hintz quit her old apartment and wanted to move into a new building on Julie-Kolb-Strasse on October 1st. Here, the Fakt AG rents 15 accessible social housing to single people or couples. The apartments are 40 to 70 m² in size and the rental contracts have long been concluded. But the building in Marl remains a construction site.

Six parties had to move out

Some tenants were lucky enough to be able to stay in their old apartment. Others – according to fact AG there are six tenants – had to move out. The company offered to temporarily accommodate them in a hotel in Herten-Westerholt. But several tenants refused.

Looking for temporary accommodation for hangovers

The severely disabled Carola Kestermann (53) and her long-time partner Ali Erdogmus (56) had imagined something different under accessibility. They therefore switched to a holiday apartment in Essen, which they have to leave again in mid-December. So the hanging game continues. The couple are also looking for temporary accommodation for the cat Nero. Nero is currently housed in a boarding house. “He no longer understands the world, I could cry,” says Carola Kestermann.

Furniture stored at moving companies

This year the apartment building in the St. Heinrich development area will no longer be finished. The tenants’ furniture is stored with moving companies. The fact AG has meanwhile taken over the costs for the accommodation, so Carola Kestermann. Other tenants, who also made advance payments, would be put off and wait for their money, says Dieter Tomczyk. He works as a lawyer for the tenant protection association and represents four tenants with his colleague Heinz Becker.

Fact AG regrets: Bottlenecks in the last few months

Why did Fakt AG conclude rental contracts at all? “At that point in time we firmly assumed that we would manage it,” says Stephan Künzer, responsible for real estate, with regret. But there were bottlenecks in the last three months: Craftsman services and components were not available. Fact AG is looking for a solution, wants to bear the costs of housing the tenants and storing the household. When the new building will be completed remains to be seen. It will certainly not be anything before the beginning of December.

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