Boarding house
The term boarding house (from English boarding = catering, house = house) or serviced apartment refers to an accommodation company which rents rooms or apartments with hotel-like services in mostly urban surroundings. In contrast to a pension or a hotel, a longer stay is planned in a boarding house. This is why the term “temporary home” is also used in the German-speaking world. The rooms and apartments in a boarding house are mainly used by companies that send employees to other cities for certain projects over a longer period of time. Their accommodation in a boarding house is much cheaper than in a hotel. Fitter rooms also offer an alternative on a simpler level .
The German Hotel and Restaurant Association defines the term as follows: “The boarding house (serviced apartment) is an accommodation facility that is mostly aimed at long-term users in an urban environment. The furnishing of the rooms is geared towards private apartments. The service ranges from a very limited offer to hotel-like room service. "
Related terms
Some providers use the term “boarding house” as a synonym for “ holiday home ” or “ student residence ”.
Apartment hotel
It is almost impossible to separate the boarding house from the apartment hotel . In theory, apartment hotels differ from boarding houses in that they are designed even more for short-term and temporary living. Apartment hotels are much more common in North America than in Europe . There, too, they serve company employees as changing places of residence. The classic clientele of boarding houses and apartment hotels are engineers and fitters on assembly work outside the home of their company. But the construction workers, who are often recruited from neighboring countries and can be found on many German construction sites, usually live in boarding houses or fitter rooms.
Equipment of a boarding house
The service a resident receives in a boarding house differs from house to house. Fixed standards do not exist - except of course a bed to sleep in. The offer ranges from rooms without breakfast to houses that offer hot meals. In a boarding house there are usually not only rooms but also entire apartments for one or more people that are fully furnished, including a kitchen. Hence the term "temporary home". In some boarding houses there are washing machines that can be shared by the residents. Some addresses offer a landline telephone and an Internet connection in the room. Housekeeping and laundry services can often be booked on request.
Rental
The mediation of rooms in a boarding house takes place either directly by contacting the providers or through specialized intermediaries. This service is mainly used by companies that have to accommodate external employees over a longer period of time and want to save themselves having to call individual providers. The German boarding house market is characterized by a large number of small providers; boarding house chains are still the exception. Boardinghouses are now an integral part of the accommodation offer, especially in large cities.
Prices
The rental prices in a boarding house are usually in the lower double-digit range per night and person. If you want to rent for a longer period of time, you usually get more favorable terms. Boarding houses are also available in luxury versions, here a night can cost several hundred euros, which is still significantly cheaper than, for example, a luxury suite in a hotel. The prices generally range at the lower end, depending on the provider and location, from 7.00 euros per night for a fitter's room to over 150.00 euros per night in an apartment up to 400.00 euros per night for a penthouse of 215 Square meters.
Some providers require a deposit when concluding the rental contract , and there are usually additional costs for final cleaning.
legal framework
Using a normal residential building as a boarding house and renting out rooms in it is permitted under certain conditions. There is no nationwide uniform regulation. Several administrative and higher administrative courts decided that the following criteria are a prerequisite for recognition as normal living space: The rental must last at least two, sometimes three months. In the house, there may be no additional services such as a meal offer, a constantly available reception or cleaning service during the rental period. Second or holiday homes are also apartments, but require additional building law approval (commercial living, trade) and a registration under commercial law in order to rent them out as a fitter's room.
The VGH Munich ruled by resolution v. 17.06.2016 - 9 ZB 14.1092 judged:
“If the immediate vicinity is dominated by residential buildings and weekend houses, then the boarding house project leaves the standard setting with regard to the type of structural use, because its use corresponds neither to the use of a residential building nor that of a weekend house. Such a project would be inadmissible in an area that corresponds to a purely residential area. "
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Definition of the operating modes. Website of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA), accessed on December 5, 2017.