Fulfilling legal duties to ensure safety on residential premises — often referred to in German law as Verkehrssicherungspflichten — has been a concern for the housing industry for many decades. At the latest since the so-called Hanover List of 1999, systematic and rule-based approaches have existed to proactively increase the property safety within managed portfolios. True to the principle “danger recognized, danger averted,” the real estate industry must continuously take new developments and changing framework conditions into account.

This two-day event is aimed at specialists and managers from the real estate sector who need to be familiar with and implement numerous traffic safety obligations in their day-to-day operations. Experienced experts from the fields of law and technology will provide valuable guidance and inspiration on how to confidently master traffic safety in changing times.

The conference begins with a retrospective synopsis by two leading authorities in their respective fields. The direct comparison between the technical-professional perspective and the legal perspective is intended to help participants better assess the content, scope, and limits of safety obligations concerning premises.

Danach referieren anerkannte Praktiker zu den Dauerbrennern Asbest und Legionellen. Der Praxis-Workshop am zweiten Tag geht auf die schleichende Gefahr durch Kohlenmonoxid sowie auf neue Anforderungen aus der Trinkwasserverordnung und wasserfachlichen Normung (DVGW und Umweltbundesamt) ein und sensibilisiert für Problemzonen in der Trinkwasserinstallation.

The conference is the fifth event in the practice-oriented series “Property Safety for the Housing Industry,” which began in 2016. Customers, business partners, and interested professionals from the real estate sector are warmly welcome.

Program

Conference | Thursday, April 16, 2026

10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Welcome & Introduction to Legal Duties to Ensure Safety on Residential Premises
Marcus Pikarek (WATERcontrol AG)

10:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Property Safety — We Know It and We Do It? Property Safety in Changing Times
– Practical handling of regulation and risks from an engineer’s perspective
– What has changed from a technical point of view?
– Why did the draft of DIN 94681 on property safety fail?


Prof. Dr.-Ing. Norbert Raschper (iwb)

11:30 a.m. Coffee break

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Property Safety Duties in Domestic Water Supply
– General principles established by the German Federal Court of Justice on property safety duties
– Significance of regulations: obligation to retrofit in the event of stricter DIN standards and the obligation of residential landlords to test for Legionella
– Delegation of property safety duties to service providers and associated liability risks
Wolfgang Wellner (Former Judge at the German Federal Court of Justice)

1:00 p.m. Lunch break

2:00 – 2:45 p.m.
The New Hazardous Substances Ordinance
– Suspected contamination, particularly asbestos, in buildings constructed before October 31, 1993
– Impact on the modernization of housing companies’ property portfolios
Gotthard Grieseler (grieseler gmbh)

2:45 – 3:30 p.m.
Hygiene in Drinking Water Installations
– From proper operation and risk assessment to the Water Safety Plan
– Current requirements under the Drinking Water Ordinance and technical standards
Dipl.-Ing. Arnd Bürschgens (Expert Office for Drinking Water Hygiene)

3:30 p.m. Coffee break

15.45 – 16.30 Uhr
Umsetzung der Verkehrssicherungspflichten im Wohnungsbestand
– Erfahrungsbericht eines großen Wohnungsunternehmens
– Besondere Herausforderungen bei Gebäuden in regionaler Streuung
– Einblicke in die Umsetzung der Untersuchungspflicht auf Legionellen
Burkhard Droste (Wohnbau GmbH)

4:30 p.m. Summary & Farewell

Social Programme
5:00 p.m. Guided tour of Dr. Oetker’s headquarters and production site, with shuttle transfer from the hotel
7:30 p.m. Joint dinner at the restaurant “Glück & Seligkeit”

Workshop | Friday, April 17, 2026

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Carbon Monoxide — An Underestimated Hazard
– Report from the day-to-day practice of a professional fire brigade
– Statistics on the development of carbon monoxide accidents and incidents
– Practical guidance on prevention and damage mitigation
Peter Bachmeier (Munich Professional Fire Brigade)

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Legionella Testing in Drinking Water under the New Drinking Water Ordinance
– Changed requirements resulting from the new recommendation issued by the German Environment Agency
– Current status of the new DVGW Worksheet W 551, draft version
– Notes on previous and current administrative practice of the health authorities
Marcus Pikarek (WATERcontrol AG)

11:00 a.m. Coffee break

11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Technical and Hygienic Requirements in Drinking Water Installations for Legionella Prevention
– Basics of the living conditions required by Legionella
– Hygiene problem areas in drinking water installations
– Prevention and elimination of contamination
Claudia Wagner (Watch Industrial Waters GmbH)

1:15 p.m. Light lunch & Farewell

Speakers

  • Peter Bachmeier – Graduate Civil Engineer (University of Applied Sciences), Chief Fire Director, Head of the Fire Prevention Department of the Munich Fire Brigade

  • Arnd Bürschgens – Master gas and water installer, publicly appointed and sworn expert, including for drinking water hygiene, specialized in hazard analyses and risk assessments

  • Burkhard Droste – Bachelor Professional in Engineering, Project Manager at Wohnbau GmbH Bonn, with a focus on decarbonization strategies, renewable energies, and drinking water hygiene

  • Gotthard Grieseler – Graduate Engineer in Mining, expert for building contaminants and contaminated sites, Managing Director of grieseler gmbh

  • Marcus Pikarek – Attorney-at-law, Executive Board Member of WATERcontrol AG, host

  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Norbert Raschper – Professor of Technical Real Estate Management at EBZ Business School, founder of iwb

  • Claudia Wagner – Graduate Geoecologist, Authorized Officer at Watch Industrial Waters GmbH, publicly appointed and sworn expert, including for evaporative cooling systems and drinking water hygiene

  • Wolfgang Wellner – Attorney-at-law, former Judge at the German Federal Court of Justice and former Presiding Judge of the 6th Civil Senate

Event information

Organizer: WATERcontrol AG, Königstraße 82, 70173 Stuttgart
Venue: Hotel Bielefelder Hof, Am Bahnhof 3, 33602 Bielefeld

Dates:

  • Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Conference
    followed by a guided tour of Dr. Oetker at 5:00 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m.

  • Friday, April 17, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Workshop
    followed by a light lunch

Registration: by April 13, 2026 at the latest

by e-mail: anmeldung@water-control.de

by telephone: 0711 23735785

Costs:

  • Conference: EUR 129.00 per participant

  • Conference & Workshop: 198,00 EUR

Conference documents, catering and drinks are included. Workshop documents will be made available digitally.

The workshop is an advanced training event in accordance with § 15b MaBV.

For detailed information on the schedule, agenda, registration and supporting program, please contact our sales manager Thorsten Kasten on 0162 – 2000 609.

To register, you can also use the invitation brochure available for download here:

Conference flyer Traffic Safety Bielefeld 2026