Berlin housing shortage: New regulation only creates 3000 cheap apartments!

Berlin housing shortage: New regulation only creates 3000 cheap apartments!

In Berlin it is bubbling on the housing market: The Senate has introduced a new regulation to make hundreds of thousands of citizens easier to access cheap living space. From now on it is possible to apply for a residential authorization (WBS 220) that raises income limits by up to 120 percent. This means that over 1.1 million households in the capital, which often fight with high rental costs, can now be made available to be able to afford an apartment again, as reported.

new hope for tenants

The new regulation could reduce the pressure on the Berlin housing market, but reality looks different: of the 310,900 Newly authorized households, only 2,974 new apartments are available. This is a clear imbalance, because while the claims rise, the offer remains puny. In the event of intensive demand, it will be crucial for many Berliners to quickly apply for the WBS, since the differences in rental prices are enormous. An apartment with WBS usually costs almost 40 percent less than comparable apartments without this appearance.

The situation is further tightened by the dramatic decline in social housing in Germany. The number of social housing has dropped drastically since 1990, and the market cannot escape this trend. Currently, over 3.1 million households pay more than 40 percent of their income for their rent, and this percentage could continue to increase with the new regulations, as kietenbund.de. Rents in Germany continue to rise and many do not even receive an appropriate area: rental lives on average on only 69 square meters, while owners enjoy far more living space.

The situation remains tense, and the question of how many Berliners can actually benefit from this innovation remains uncertain. Only time will show whether the new legal provisions are sufficient to counteract the housing crisis in Berlin.

bz berlin