Press Release #1

In August 2023, a tenant of Eisenbahnstraße 97 (E97) was verbally informed by a supposed new owner that he had bought the building and that the change of ownership would take place at the end of the year. He also announced that he would terminate the leases of all tenants, including the two spaces on groundfloor – specifically, he spoke of “kicking everyone out”. The aim behind this is probably to make more profit than the current tenancies bring in. It has since been confirmed that a sale has indeed taken place – the new owner is associated with the Leipzig-based real estate company “NAS Immobilien”. The tenants’ attempt to have the building bought by a cooperative in order to prevent the tenants from being evicted was rejected by the alleged new owner after initial willingness.

The threatened eviction affects over 30 residential tenants as well as the sociocultural center Con Han Hop and the bar Goldhorn. All tenants have been in tenancies since 2013 and have renovated the premises themselves. Until 2020, the tenants were also in a rent dispute with the previous owners. These long-standing negotiations resulted in fair tenancy agreements, which are a thorn in the side of any profit-oriented owner.

Neither the previous owners nor the property management informed the tenants about a change of ownership. Necessary maintenance measures have also not been carried out for years and changes to the tenancy agreements have been blocked. The roof leaks in several places, rain and snow is entering regularly, some of the bathrooms are defective and unusable, heating systems break down and are not repaired for months. This leaves the tenants with the feeling that the previous owners and the property management are deliberately refusing to fulfill their responsibilities.

The building community therefore decided to pre-empt the change of ownership and transfer the building to community ownership via a cooperative, thus enabling a sustainable and long-term living situation. The supposed new owner was initially open to this plan – probably also because he realized that he would encounter a united house community that would not be easily intimidated by threatening scenarios. A resale seemed possible. After all the groundwork had been laid within a few weeks and the cooperative had agreed to the purchase and made an offer, the other party suddenly decided against the sale to the cooperative and now wants to stick to the previous plans for the lease termination – the Goldhorn has since received a notice of termination.

Eisenbahnstraße, on which the building is located, is one of the most beautiful streets in Leipzig, but has also become one of the most sought-after. Over the past ten years, the average rent in Volkmarsdorf has almost doubled. Speculation with living space and economically motivated rent reductions do not stop at the former working-class district with its migrant character and its residents. We are experiencing an increasing displacement of self-managed spaces along Eisenbahnstraße. In the last year alone, the self-managed space and meeting place Erythrosin, the bicycle self-help workshop Radsfatz, the cultural association Trautmann and the Japanese House had to make way due to terminations by the owners, Cafe NuR will follow suit this year. The promise of a quick increase in profits is thus crowding out social and cultural projects, and those affected are being ignored in this process. Now the Con Han Hop is also threatened by the same development. The Hop is a place where it is still possible to come together without the pressure to consume. It is a place shared by people who otherwise tend to live side by side in the neighborhood. At the same time, affordable housing along Eisenbahnstraße is becoming more expensive and scarcer. The tenants of Eisenbahnstraße 97 are organizing collectively to counter these developments and the threat of being evicted.

We love living here and we won’t leave! It’s our home, we’ve made it our home!

In December 2023, the tenants launched a petition to draw attention to their situation. To date, they have collected over 6,000 signatures in support of the tenants, the socio-cultural center Con Han Hop and the Goldhorn pub remaining at Eisenbahnstraße 97 and the purchase of the building by the cooperative being made possible. This is because the tenants still want and are prepared for the cooperative to buy the building in order to secure the existing tenancies. To this end, the tenants have sought legal advice, made contact with the public, the city and the neighborhood and are preparing for another rent dispute.