Berlin housing in the crisis: 20% less new building 2024!

Berlin housing in the crisis: 20% less new building 2024!

Berlin, Deutschland - In 2024, the state -owned housing associations in Berlin completed considerably fewer apartments. According to rbb24 , the number decreased by around 20 percent compared to the previous year. A total of 3,461 apartments were completed, including only 906 social housing. The proportion of social housing is therefore significantly below the agreed quota of 50 percent. While 4,348 apartments were still built in 2023, a forecast of 4,775 apartments is expected for 2025.

This development contradicts the ambitious goals of the Senate, which had targeted 20,000 completions in the previous year, but in the end only implemented around 15,000 apartments. One of the main reasons for the falling figures is the continued lack of materials and specialists that put the construction industry under pressure. The housing policy spokesman for the left, Niklas Schenker, described the current numbers as "dramatic" and criticized the lack of affordable living space.

challenges on the housing market

The challenges on the Berlin housing market cannot be overlooked. The population in the capital in 2023 rose by 26,951 people, which exerts additional pressure on the already tense living situation. With a medium offer rent of EUR 15.74 per square meter in 2024, an increase of 1.75 euros compared to the previous year, the burden is enormous for many households. In the city center, the supply rent often exceeds 20 euros per square meter.

The need to increase the proportion of state -owned housing stocks to over 30 percent will be addressed by the new cooperation agreement between the state -owned housing associations and the Senate, which will come into force from 2024. This agreement not only aims to create more affordable apartments, but also to ensure that new construction projects are building at least 50 percent of the living space with public funding.

strategies for reducing the rental load

In order to reduce the rental load for Berlin households, the cooperation agreement provides, among other things, that first rent rents for freed -financed new apartments are not allowed to exceed 15 euros per square meter. Rent increases are also limited to a maximum of 11 percent within three years to prevent excessive increase in housing costs.

• Maximum increase in the average rent for existing rental contracts: 2.9 % annually
• Affordability promise: Net rental rent should be a maximum of 27 % of the household income
• 63 % of the apartments for re-catering to WBS authorized households

In order to deal with further challenges such as the lack of large and barrier -reduced apartments, various solutions were developed, which include rent grants and alternative forms of living.

Overall, it remains to be hoped that the new agreements and measures by the Senate together with the housing associations can tackle the pressing problems of the housing market in Berlin more effectively in order to meet the growing need for living space. The focus on affordable social housing will play a crucial role.