How many café rooms exist, what are the rights of sub-tenants, and what happens if a landlord fails to meet their obligations? Pirate MP Sven Clement put these questions to Liberal Housing Minister Claude Meisch. The inquiry follows a Tageblatt report about café tenants in Weimeschkirch whose electricity was cut off after their landlord failed to pay the bills and disappeared.
In his response, Minister Meisch explained that sub-tenants are not considered end customers under the Electricity Act. Electricity suppliers therefore follow the standard procedures, although end customers can also seek support from the social welfare office. If a landlord fails to pay the electricity bill, sub-tenants still have legal recourse, the minister added.
The Housing Ministry stressed that current legislation already allows sanctions for misconduct, so no tightening of subletting laws is planned. Café rooms are not explicitly regulated, and municipalities are responsible for identifying them. An exploratory study by the Observatoire de l’habitat gathered general information in a rather informal way.
The study does not comment on the legality of café rooms. Researchers identified over 40 cafés in Luxembourg City where the floors above could potentially be used as café rooms. 14 are located in the Bonnevoie district.
In other topics, the government is aware of the shortage of emergency accommodation in the city. According to Minister Meisch, the plan is to expand capacities in existing structures and, where necessary, resort to temporary solutions.
Regulations on sanitation are also being revised, with the updated texts expected to be available by mid-year.
