Gregor Klaus was the landlord of two apartments for years. He inherited it together with his brother in 2007. But a few years ago they both decided not to rent again after the tenancy ended. One apartment then stood empty for two to three years. He now uses the other former rental apartment as a home office and for playing table tennis. For one simple reason: “I’m not financially dependent on renting out,” says Klaus, who lives near Stuttgart.

Klaus responded to a call from ZEIT. We asked our readers whether they own apartments that they leave empty. We wanted to know why they don’t offer vacant apartments for rent, even in regions with a tight housing market. It turned out that the motivations are different. It’s not always just about supply and demand.