Taxpayers shell out 23.3 million euros per month for rents for citizens’ benefit recipients. Rents are rising everywhere in Germany, the situation is particularly dramatic in large cities.
The situation is fueled by the housing crisis: too little new housing is being built due to high construction costs and increased interest rates. Last year only 270,000 apartments were built; the federal government is actually pursuing a goal of 400,000 per year. According to a current study by the Pestel Institute, there is currently a lack of up to 900,000 social housing units in Germany.