Berlin
The number of social rental properties in Germany fell again last year. At the end of 2023, there were about 1.072 million such apartments for low-income people nationwide, about 15,300 fewer than a year earlier. This is evident from the federal government’s response to a question from the left-wing parliamentary group in the Bundestag, which was submitted to the dpa.
Last year, the construction of 49,430 social homes was refinanced. The traffic light government actually planned to create 100,000 new social homes every year. But the bottom line is that their numbers have been declining for years, as many existing social housing units are no longer subject to rent control and can then be rented out at higher prices.
“Historical low point”
Left-wing housing policy expert Caren Lay, who made the request, called it a “historic low.” “Given the rampant rise in rents and the increasing housing shortage, this is a fiasco,” she explains. According to the figures, the loss of social housing has increased recently: around 14,000 social housing will be lost in 2022.
When comparing the states, the development is variable. According to Lay, stocks fell by four figures in North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin, Rhineland-Palatinate, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony. In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, however, the number of apartments grew by more than a thousand.
North Rhine-Westphalia is the leader
Last year there was a particularly large amount of new financing in the two most populous states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, followed by Berlin and Hamburg. The most social housing units in total were registered in North Rhine-Westphalia with 426,755, Bavaria with 134,793 and Berlin (99,849).
Rents for social housing are regulated by the state. Only people who, according to the authorities, have special needs are allowed to live there. However, after a certain period, the apartments can be rented normally on the market. The term of this bond is regulated differently in each country.
Lay criticized that federal funding for social housing of 2.5 billion euros last year was clearly not enough. “Especially now in the construction crisis, the public sector must build and promote more itself,” she demanded. At least 20 billion euros should be made available annually for public social and non-profit housing.
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