What is needed now to combat the housing shortage

2023-09-24 18:41:47

As much as it is right to improve the conditions for developers and those wanting to build new buildings, it is fundamentally wrong and downright toxic to try to play landlords off against tenants. The SPD parliamentary group recently called for greater limits on rent increases. But the “breathing space for tenants” hoped for in the group’s paper takes away all potential builders’ breath. Because: Today’s landlords are tomorrow’s builders. Stifling any private initiative by ruling out rent increases is therefore counterproductive. At least if it means more new apartments: apartments that will ultimately ensure that supply increases and thus rents fall.