Urgent appeal in Rostock: More social housing against rental shortage!

Urgent appeal in Rostock: More social housing against rental shortage!

At the tenant day in Rostock-Warnemünde, the German Tenants' Association (DMB) gave alarming insights into the current Situation of social housing. In urgent need for action became clear, because the existence of social housing has been halved since 2006 and is now only around 1.1 million units. This means that over 11 million tenant households in Germany are entitled to a residential authorization certificate, while around 550,000 social housing is missing nationwide. The figures presented illustrate a serious mismanagement of the state with regard to the support for housing.

At the tenant day, it was also found that around 40,000 social housing falls out of the stock annually, while only 25,000 new subsidized apartments are being built on average. The DMB proposes to increase the stock of social housing to two million by 2030. For the implementation of this ambitious goal, 100,000 newly built permanent social housing are necessary annually. The DMB calls for an investment program of 12.5 billion euros annually for social housing in order not only to increase the number of social housing, but also to create affordable rental apartments for normal earners.

political demands and suggestions

The figures from a current housing market study by the Pestel Institute also show that more than 910,000 social housing is missing nationwide. In cities with tense housing markets, such as Munich, rents are paid that are often above the average rent. Nationwide, the additional costs for accommodation add up to around 700 million euros per year - an alarming sign that underlines the urgency of measures to combat the lack of social housing.

claims for the future

The DMB has therefore formulated clear demands: it is necessary to increase the annual expenditure for social housing to at least 50 billion euros in order to enable the construction of 100,000 social housing per year. Basic law protection of the social housing construction and the exclusion from the debt brake are further points that are necessary to make progress in social housing. In addition, a fixed “social quota” is required when awarding social housing in order to focus on socially just criteria.

The day in Rostock was also characterized by the election of Melanie Weber-Moritz as the new full-time president of the DMB, which Lukas Siebenkotten replaces after 18 years in office. Around 400 delegates, representatives of over 11 million tenant households, advise on these important topics that are of the greatest importance for the future of the social housing market in Germany.

Time is urgent: In order to prevent more and more people from getting into the poverty trap of rising rents, rapid decisions and measures are essential. The demands for more social living space and just tenancy law must be taken seriously by politics before it is too late.