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5 changes in Germany in December 2020

Coronavirus pandemic restrictions

Two days ago, during another teleconference between Angerla Merkel and the leaders of the federal states, a further strategy to fight the Covid-19 pandemic was established. 

It was decided to extend the current restrictions, and in some cases even tighten them. The exception will be the holiday season, when the possibility of meetings in larger groups will be allowed. We wrote more about it HERE .

Winter train timetable

From December 13, Germany will enter into force the winter train timetable, which will be valid until June 12, 2021. On average, the prices of tickets for certain rail connections will increase by 1%. In January this year, the German Railways (Deutsche Bahn), due to a reduction in VAT, left prices on average by 10%. 

The Bahncard 100 network card will increase in price by 1.9% in mid-December, and tickets in the flexible tariff for ICE / IC / EC train journeys will increase by 1.5%. From April next year, discount cards for seniors will be available to people over 65 years of age.

Free flight rebooking

Ryanair, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines waive the fee for rescheduling December flights. Passengers will be able to reschedule their flight free of charge until September 30, 2021, up to seven days before the originally planned trip.

The Act on the modernization of apartments (WEMoG)

The Act on the modernization of housing (WEMoG) of October 22, 2020 aims to promote the development of electric mobility. In the future, apartment owners and tenants will have the right to install a charging station in the underground car park or on the property of the house. The law essentially makes it easier for landlords and tenants to make structural changes. On the other hand, it is about more efficient management of homeowner communities. Most of the act is to enter into force on December 1, 2020. More information on this can be found HERE .

Buying a property: Brokerage costs are split

Until now, real estate buyers have had to pay all or most of the brokerage costs when buying. From December 23, the costs for the new owner should amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the total brokerage fee. More on this can be found HERE .

Source: Polskiobserwator.de