As of: February 28, 2024, 5:09 p.m
By: Dominik Stallein
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The number of social housing continues to decline - new buildings are very complicated.
© BildFunkMV/Imago
There are fewer and fewer social housing units, but more and more people need them in the south of Munich.
There are no new buildings in sight - because of the bureaucracy.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen - Especially in the high-price region in the south of Munich, they are in short supply - and incredibly sought after: social housing and cheap rental apartments.
Not only people from the lowest salary brackets and precarious working relationships have long been entitled to subsidized housing.
The problem: The great social boom in construction is over.
Across Germany, more apartments are now falling out of price control than new ones are being added - and there are more and more interested parties.
“Total pressure there”: fewer and fewer cheap apartments in the south of Munich - and more and more applicants
In 2014 there were still 1,553 social housing units in the district.
Today, according to the district office, there are only 1,112 left - over 400 fewer.
And this in a region that continues to grow.
Why is that so?
District office press spokeswoman Marlis Peischer speculates: “The commitment periods for social housing are expiring and at the same time no new apartments are being built.”
Rent prices around Munich are high - there are too few social housing options.
The Wolfratshausen building cooperative (BGW) does not have a single name on the waiting list.
This is not because there are enough apartments available in Loisachstadt - on the contrary: “We no longer keep a list,” says board member Britta Wurm.
The number of interested parties had grown over the years - the list filled several DINA4 pages.
“We are now putting available apartments on our homepage and you can apply there.” The building cooperative will allow the offers to be viewed there for a few days.
But she could forgive them in minutes.
“There is total pressure,” says Wurm.
“The phone rings almost every day because people are looking for an apartment.
The situation has not eased.
Quite the opposite.” The portfolio includes 199 income-oriented subsidized (EOF) apartments, and the building cooperative manages a total of 473 units.
Britta Wurm is on the board of the Wolfratshausen building cooperative.
She says: “There is total pressure.” © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
Affordable rents: The number of social housing units in the south of Munich is falling dramatically
And even if the cooperative continues to stretch itself financially and create, expand and plan new buildings, it cannot cope with the huge demand.
The cooperative is spending around 18 million euros to build a new building in the Farchet district.
It is a replacement for old apartments - 57 were there, 82 are being created by the BGW.
Of these, 66 units are to be built according to EOF criteria.
“I think that’s a good rate,” says Wurm.
But it's far from sufficient - and what's more, it's only possible through long, difficult coordination.
Wurm complains about high barriers to affordable housing.
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“There is total pressure”: More and more people need social housing - but there are fewer and fewer of them
“The topic is always on everyone's lips, but I don't have the impression that anything would happen because of it.” She misses things like making it easier to build affordable housing.
The design of so-called income-oriented subsidized apartments – they used to be called social housing – is strictly regulated.
“There are a lot of requirements that we have to meet.” For example, when it comes to accessibility.
The size of the residential units is also defined.
“It is becoming more and more complicated, and regardless of inflation and rising construction costs in general, it is becoming more and more expensive to build EOF housing.”
Rent prices south of Munich are exploding - there are no cheap apartments
The Lenggries building cooperative has therefore chosen a completely different path.
It does not maintain a single EOF apartment.
“These plans are associated with far more requirements, regulations and demands than a freely planned construction project,” explains chairwoman Maria Haubner.
One advantage: “There is no problem for our cooperative if apartments fall out of price control.
This is not a problem for our tenants either.” Even without social ties: “Our rents are always well below the local rent.” Increases are always “only very moderate”.
The Lenggrieser cooperative would like to stick to its strategy of affordable housing instead of social housing.
“There are currently no plans to build subsidized housing.” In order to offer affordable rents and living space for everyone, “it is not necessary to build new social housing.”
Maria Haubner, chairwoman of the Lenggries building cooperative: “There are no plans to build subsidized apartments” © Ewald J.Scheitterer
Millions of euros for rent subsidies: The lack of apartments is costing the district a lot of money
The lack of social housing is costing taxpayers a lot of money: people who would be entitled to live in subsidized housing but cannot find one can apply for housing benefit subsidies.
“In 2023, 1,012 cases were paid out,” said district office press spokeswoman Peischer.
And that doesn't stop the interest.
“We receive a far greater number of inquiries – by telephone, email, in person – than applications for a residence permit are ultimately submitted,” says Peischer.
In 2023, 573 applications were received in the authority's mailbox.
A total of around 3.15 million euros were paid out by the district last year.
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