It is more and more complicated, across the Rhine, to find a house or an apartment. Housing has become scarce and expensive.
VSIt no longer surprises anyone in Berlin to see long queues of people waiting to see rental accommodation. Ads sometimes stay online for only a few minutes before being disabled. Explanation: iThere is a shortage of 700,000 housing units in Germany and demand, which is much higher than supply, is driving up prices. There increase reached 7.4% in the first quarter. 1.5 million households devote more than half of their income to paying their rent, not including utilities.
In Berlin, where 85% of the inhabitants are tenants, this inflation is obviously a sensitive subject. Another example: Munich, where rents have increased by more than 60% in the space of ten years in certain districts. The Germans sThey are therefore turning more and more towards shared accommodation, and families sometimes settle in mobile homes for lack of a better solution.
The trend is the same for real estate purchases: in ten years, prices have doubled. In Munich, the most expensive city in Germany, it takes almost 10,000 euros on average per square meter. Many residents would like to become owners but only 3% think they will be able to take the plunge this year. We are still seeing signs of an easing in selling prices in certain cities, but that is because demand is falling. High interest rates, between 3.5 and 4% over ten years, block potential buyers, who therefore turn to the rental market.
Insufficient constructions
The Minister of Construction pledged to build 400,000 homes a year, but the objective is not met, the minister admitted it herself. In February, the number of building permits fell for the 10th consecutive month. In question, the high cost of construction materials: + 17% over one year. At best, 250,000 homes will see the light of day this year. The construction sector is asking the government to release 50 billion euros to support the sector.
Specialist firms see no miracle cure for this overheating of rents. There should certainly be more housing, but also encourage people to settle in rural areas, to limit the influx to urban centres. But it’s not that simple: the train connections are sometimes uncertain, the internet network erratic and it can be complicated to find a school nearby for the children.