As of: January 19, 2024, 4:49 a.m
By: Amy Walker
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A new study on the status of social housing in the country probably didn't suit the Federal Minister of Construction.
At Tagesschau24 she claims: the study is “highly dubious”.
Berlin – On Tuesday (January 16th), the “Social Housing” alliance presented its new study, as it has done annually for years.
The results come from the Pestel Institute, a renowned research institute with more than 40 years of experience in the housing market sector.
But Federal Construction Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) simply does not want to accept the dramatic results of the institute.
In the ARD she calls them “highly dubious” and even claims: “The numbers were made up by colleagues.”
The alliance consists of several large players: the German Tenants' Association (DMB), the Industrial Union for Building, Agriculture and Environment (IG BAU), Caritas for Disabled People's Aid and Psychiatry (CBP), the Federal Association of German Building Materials Trade (BDB) and the German Society for Masonry and residential construction (DGfM).
Federal Minister Klara Geywitz in Berlin © M. Popow/Imago
Social Housing Alliance outraged: Geywitz is trying to undermine the study
And they react indignantly to Geywitz's statements.
In a press release sent out that same evening, the alliance wrote: “We reject the Federal Construction Minister’s allegations in the strongest possible terms.
Klara Geywitz’s reaction to the housing market study is an inept attempt to undermine the study results by alleging false information.”
The study by the Pestel Institute found that there is a shortage of 910,000 social housing units in Germany.
The alliance explained that the federal and state governments had massively neglected the funding of such residential units.
The study by the Pestel Institute in Hanover shows that in particularly tight housing markets where there is a lack of affordable alternatives, the state pays rents that are significantly above average when covering the costs of accommodation.
The “Social Housing” alliance reiterated its call for a 50 billion euro package from the federal and state governments to promote social housing.
This is the only way to get “at least a little” closer to the traffic light coalition’s goal of building 100,000 new social housing units per year.
Geywitz: Ampel is investing a “record sum” in social housing
Geywitz admitted on
Tagesschau24
that there were too few social housing units.
This is the result of two decades of lack of funds for social housing.
"That's why the federal government has been investing a record sum in social housing since the beginning of the legislative period, 3.15 billion euros this year alone and over 18 billion euros in total by 2027." At a special conference of construction ministers last week, the states committed to contributing their own share of additional To increase social housing funding from 30 to 40 percent.
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But by insinuating that the study is dubious, the construction minister is messing with the very actors she actually needs for housing construction.
“It speaks for itself when the Federal Minister, who is miles away from achieving the goals she has set herself, dismisses unpleasant truths and unpleasant study results as 'highly dubious',” said the alliance in response to the allegations.
Thomas Reimann, President of the Hessian construction industry, believes the Pestel Institute's figures are entirely possible.
“I can’t judge whether there are more than 900,000 apartments.
But it is logical that with probably more than 600,000 unbuilt apartments from 2022 to 2025, there will also be a lack of a large number of social housing," he writes in a message to
Ippen.Media
.
In his career he “cannot remember that the situation in housing construction in recent decades was as precarious as it is now.”
The construction minister should listen to those involved in housing construction instead of discrediting them, Reimann continued.
“The industry representatives have already submitted many good ideas to the government, but obviously Berlin and the Federal Construction Minister are not listening to this advice.”
With material from Reuters