The Nordfriesland district is taking action against illegal holiday apartments. In 2023, around 100 holiday apartments on Sylt, the neighboring islands of Amrum and Föhr as well as in the North Sea resorts of Sankt Peter-Ording and Dagebüll were shut down, said district building officer Burkhard Jansen Mirror online. According to this, around 3,500 apartments on Sylt alone could be used illegally to rent out to tourists. 50 holiday apartments were closed there last year.
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His authority is taking consistent action to “give the communities back sovereignty over their planning areas,” said Jansen. According to the information, he and his employees search the Internet for advertisements for holiday apartments in the district’s planning areas. But you also receive information. If an apartment is found that is rented to tourists but is not designated as such, the district imposes a so-called usage ban.
“At some point I had to realize that investors and citizens perceived the stipulations in the development plans more as a recommendation than as legislation,” said the building officer.
The municipality of Sylt criticizes the building authority’s approach
The deputy mayor of the municipality of Sylt, Carsten Kerkamm, expects the approach to result in “massive, sometimes dramatic cuts for Sylt homeowners and for the Sylt economy”. In addition, many people on Sylt would no longer be able to keep their apartments without the income from rentals, said the CDU politician.
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“The tensions have become extreme, Sylt no longer functions,” said the building officer. “What we are seeing is ongoing illegal conversion of housing,” Jansen said. The problem is that fire protection or escape route requirements are often not met. “We can no longer find a healthy mix between holiday, second and permanent homes,” he said.
7,500 holiday apartments and 11,000 permanent apartments
Sylt was loud in 2023 Mirror online adopted an accommodation concept that was intended to control tourism. The background was an expert report that recommended that no more holiday apartments be approved on the island. Accordingly, there are 7,500 holiday apartments and 11,000 permanent apartments on Sylt.
“The municipalities can change the development plans,” said building officer Jansen. Sylt’s deputy mayor Kerkamm wants to check whether some holiday apartments can be subsequently approved. According to a Sylt business association, at least a third of Sylt’s economic output is at risk.
The Nordfriesland district is taking action against illegal holiday apartments. In 2023, around 100 holiday apartments on Sylt, the neighboring islands of Amrum and Föhr as well as in the North Sea resorts of Sankt Peter-Ording and Dagebüll were shut down, said district building officer Burkhard Jansen Mirror online. According to this, around 3,500 apartments on Sylt alone could be used illegally to rent out to tourists. 50 holiday apartments were closed there last year.
His authority is taking consistent action to “give the communities back sovereignty over their planning areas,” said Jansen. According to the information, he and his employees search the Internet for advertisements for holiday apartments in the district’s planning areas. But you also receive information. If an apartment is found that is rented to tourists but is not designated as such, the district imposes a so-called usage ban.