Berlin.
The housing market is in crisis. There are more apartments missing than in the last 30 years. Quick solutions are required.
Those are alarming numbers housing market researcher present at the beginning of the year: 700,000 apartments are missing in Germany, it is the greatest housing shortage since 1993. The representatives of the associations hit a sore spot in government policy when, in view of this knowledge, they ask what the job market will actually be like in the future if there are none affordable housing for skilled workers who are to come to Germany.
The past year has the parameters at housing fundamentally changed. For years, the construction pushed the economy like a locomotive. This is no longer the case, at least for residential construction. It is also of no use that Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) was able to negotiate significantly more financial resources than the previous government for housing construction. The investment volume is below what would be necessary.
The chancellor should make housing construction a top priority
The alliance of associations presents a current fashion as a solution: A special fund analogous to the Bundeswehr is also needed for housing construction. Sure, high subsidies trigger investments in theory. In practice, however, this is of little use if these investments not be implemented. The shortage of skilled workers in the skilled trades is already striking. It would be all the more important to use the available specialists with maximum efficiency and to focus more on the conversion of empty buildings than before.
In order for this to succeed, a coordinated approach is required. A first association alliance was too broad to work really powerful results. What is needed would be a small and efficient task force. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) should take the lead in order to present practical solutions as quickly as possible. Because nobody can afford a crisis in housing construction at the moment.
More articles from this category can be found here: Politics
