Angela Merkel has made the skyrocketing Rent. At a specially-convened a housing summit with politics and the economy, a way out of the misery. From Berlin, Sabine Kinkartz reported.
More and more people go because of the high Rents on the street
Of an “effort” said Angela Merkel after the two-hour Meeting with more than one hundred participants in the Federal Chancellery. Ministers, representatives of countries and municipalities, the real estate and construction industry, the trade unions and the Mieterbunds had invited Merkel to speak about how more housing can be created, especially in the German Metropolitan areas. The 14 most demanded German cities, the Rent there is between 2010 and 2017 in the case of New and re – renting by an average of 34 percent. In Munich and Stuttgart, there are more than 40 per cent, and in Berlin even close to 70 percent.
“You can say that today was a Start,” he said after the housing summit, the Chancellor, the buffered too high hopes on quick solutions. A “communiqué” was issued, but this is no more than a work of planning that must now be implemented. Five billion euros, wants to put the Federal government until the end of 2021 in the construction of housing, 1.5 million additional homes will be created, of which around 100,000 social housing with capped Rents.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German interior – and construction Minister, Horst Seehofer
More money and more land
People whose income is not sufficient for the rent, should receive from 2020, more housing benefit, so a higher government subsidy. Families who want to purchase first property, can apply for per child is € 12,000 baukinder money. Builders should be encouraged with better tax write-off opportunities to build rental housing.
The Federal government wants to make in the future, more land for the States and municipalities. The Federal Institute for real estate nationwide to submit their own plots of land at below the market value of the municipal and state-owned construction companies. Since 1999, the highest price method was there, plots of land were sold in a bidding process to the highest bidder Investor. Now the countries should have the right of access. “The budgetary legal conditions are being created right now,” said the German Finance Minister, Olaf Scholz, in accordance with the residential summit.
The country is happy. “I buy everything,” says the governing mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller. “I do not want to discuss, whether a large or small plot, let’s talk about a package price talk.”
Who’s going to build the many homes?
But land alone is not enough. The order books of the construction industry are filled to the brim, the industry complains that they can’t fill Vacancies. “We urge the professionals of the immigration act to bring in this year in the Bundestag, because the implementation of this whole investment measures requires the necessary capacity in the construction industry,” said Federal interior and construction Minister Horst Seehofer after the housing summit.
The Federal länder have agreed to create a in the whole of Germany applicable model building code. Currently, there is in every province a separate building code. Large investors, for example, have a concept for a particular type of house that could be built, you need to obtain in each state of a building permit. This takes and makes the Build more expensive.
More than one hundred participants in the housing summit in the Chancellery had
The bureaucracy is a huge hurdle
Inhibit the approximately 20,000 building regulations in Germany. “Ten years ago it was half,” complains Gerd Landsberg, managing Director of the German Association of cities and municipalities. Quick to build and inexpensive, according to Landsberg is currently almost impossible. “When on land there are trees, you must first decide the nature conservation authority, whether of the tree or the planned construction is a priority.” The 2016 adopted energy-saving regulation, while important, have become more expensive to Build but by about ten percent.
“We are trying on the part of the Federal government to provide the right amount of space for private investment and regulation, where necessary,” says the Chancellor, which points to a conflict within the government coalition between the CDU, CSU and SPD. While the Union wants to boost, especially the new building, the SPD is clear that the Rents for existing housing does not continue to skyrocket.
The rental price was tightened brake
“Incomes in Germany are good, but they are not as big as you for some of the Rent would have to be,” says Minister of Finance Scholz, who is also SPD Deputy. If new construction net cold rent of more than ten euros per square meter would be called, then it was above the budget of most citizens. Now, therefore, the rent level should the landlord be guided, to be adjusted. He should consider the Rent over a longer period of time, so even the low Rents of the past few years.
In front of the Chancellery, people rallied for affordable Rent
In certain urban areas it is more difficult furthermore, the conversion of rental apartments into condominiums. “The current massive Shortage, which will remain as it is, unfortunately, a couple of years, may not ensure that the rents go through the ceiling.” That is why the coalition have made improvements during the tenancy. “And certainly even more will be necessary,” said Scholz, who alludes to a 12-point Plan of the SPD, the party calls for rent increases in Metropolitan areas for five years.
70 percent of Germans are renters
“The question of housing is a social for all of us and the cohesion of the society very much,” said Chancellor Merkel. Your tree Minister Seehofer said: “I understand all of the contributions to the discussion, that there was a shoulder-to-shoulder with all actors.” The agreed measures are “the largest effort ever undertaken in the policy in this width, in order to create more affordable housing in Germany”.
Whether that’s enough? Criticism comes mainly from the side of the Opposition. Caren Lay, Deputy Chairman of the left group in the Bundestag described the residential summit at the Federal Chancellery as “alibi event in front of the state Parliament elections in Bavaria and Hesse”. At the summit ten times as many representatives of construction and real estate associations were such as representatives of tenants ‘ interests.
It is a lot of scepticism prevails as to
“The baukinder money leads to deadweight effects in the case of the better-off families, which would anyway build,” says Lay. The tax benefits for building owners is to Hire a state subsidy, without any position more affordable. “The announced repair of the rental price brake is a mini-reform, of which only a few tenants benefit.”
Skepticism also prevails in the case of the majority of citizens. 69 percent of Germans do not believe that the policy gets to the Problem of rising Rents in the handle. This is the result of a recent Emnid survey.