The Green Left party is pushing for a federal law amendment that would allow local municipalities to utilize the smart meter method, also known as the electricity meter method, to tackle the problem of vacant properties. According to Katalin Gennburg, the construction policy spokesperson for the Linke parliamentary group, the party believes that addressing empty dwellings is no longer optional in the face of the ongoing housing and climate crisis.
Gennburg initiated a consultancy report on this matter, which has since been reported by T-Online. Although some German cities, such as Wuppertal, are already employing this method to determine property vacancies, its application is controversial. In Berlin, for instance, a past similar proposal put forward by Die Linke had failed due to data protection concerns.
The report clarifies that data can currently be used when it is fully anonymized, meaning it is not personally identifiable. However, the study stresses that if authorities wish to use the data to identify specific cases and hold landlords accountable, a mandatory change to federal law is essential. Gennburg suggests that a relevant clause could be added to the Metering Network Operation Act (“Messstellenbetriebsgesetz”).
The Linke demands that the federal government implement this legal change now. The party argues that introducing a federal opening clause would enable the seamless identification of empty homes and ensure that owners who allow properties to remain vacant without justification are finally held responsible.
