The housing shortage in Weilheim-Schongau is almost as old as the district itself, which was founded in 1972. Recently, however, the situation has worsened: There were 400 interested parties for an apartment in Weilheim.
District – "We haven't had that many yet, but we have already had 300 interested parties," says Andrea Köbler, one of two managing directors of "Immobilien Köbler und Leiss" in Penzberg. In order to cope with the onslaught, you go through the individual applications and take out those that are out of the question: people without a job or interested parties with pets, for example, if they are not allowed, says Köbler, who has been working as a broker for almost four decades. "There are very, very many that are out of the question."
For the last ten to fifteen applicants, there will then be an apartment inspection
In the end, there are usually between ten and 15 applicants left; for them there is then an individual apartment viewing. The company currently has six apartments on offer, and the number of interested parties is correspondingly high – around 150 on average. "There are simply too few apartments on the market, and the fewer there are, the more people pounce on them," says Köbler. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that people are currently refraining from buying a property due to high real estate prices and increased interest rates and are also looking around on the rental market.
Köbler's assessment is also confirmed by Christian Müller-Kittnau of "Remax Müller-Kittnau Immobilien" in Seeshaupt, which, like Köbler, specialises in the sale of real estate. More than 100 applicants quickly contacted him for a two-room apartment in Tutzing in the basement before he took out the online offer. High-priced rental offers also met with great interest. Recently, he had brokered a semi-detached house for 3500 euros cold rent. "The asking prices are sometimes high, but even that is paid for," says Müller-Kittnau. In most cases, it is large companies that are looking for accommodation for senior employees.
Many vacancies in the region around Lake Starnberg are further reducing supply
He is annoyed by the many vacancies, especially in the region around Lake Starnberg. They made the supply even more scarce. But there is also a great deal of interest in the sale of real estate, according to Müller-Kittnau. For the purchase of a semi-detached house in Bernried, 150 interested parties contacted him within a very short time.
In the west of the district, the housing market is not quite as tight as in the east. However, the demand there is also significantly higher than a decade ago, says Jürgen Ruf, owner of "Ruf Immobilien" in Schongau. 50 people interested in an apartment are not uncommon. He brokers 40 to 50 apartments and houses for rent per year. The situation has recently worsened because more and more war refugees and recognised asylum seekers are now looking for accommodation. In addition, more and more people who live in the east of the district are looking for an apartment or a house in the Schongau/Peiting area.
Many people are now looking in the Schongau/Peiting area
This is due to the lower prices there. For new properties, the basic rent is up to 12.50 euros per square metre, but there are also offers around or less than ten euros – hardly imaginable in the East.
The high demand for rental apartments is also confirmed by Angelika Lieb, who runs the brokerage office "Lieb Immobilien" in Weilheim with her husband Günther. She had noticed that there had recently been a lot of redundancies due to personal use. This is probably due to Corona and the increased demand for home office workplaces, which then often require a larger apartment. "We've never had as many requests for apartments as we do now." She has also received around 400 applicants for an apartment.
Also in social housing: demand high, supply low
Demand for social housing is also high and supply is low. In the city of Weilheim alone, a member municipality of Wohnbau GmbH in the district, the waiting list has grown to over 200 applicants. "And it's not getting any better," says Karin Letz from the city's Department of Social Affairs. A decision as to who gets one of the rare apartments is made by Wohnbau GmbH.
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By the way: Everything from the region can also be found in our regular Schongau newsletter. And in our Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter.
The local newspapers in the district of Weilheim-Schongau are represented under "merkur_wm_sog" on Instagram.