Housing shortage in the Ostalbkreis: IG BAU calls for turbocharged social housing!

Housing shortage in the Ostalbkreis: IG BAU calls for turbocharged social housing!

A comprehensive “housing construction turbo” is called for in the Ostalb district. IG BAU Nordwürttemberg is putting forward this demand under the leadership of deputy chairman Jürgen Ziegler. Given the current housing shortage, rapid and massive housing construction is essential. Ziegler emphasizes that there is an urgent need for action, particularly in the construction of social housing and affordable housing.

Last year, a total of 1,228 new apartments were built in the Ostalb district, of which 462 were in the form of single- and two-family houses. Construction costs of around 278.3 million euros are estimated for 2024. Ziegler is calling for a new construction offensive and increased renovation measures, especially to promote senior-friendly living. He refers to a study by the construction research institute ARGE in Kiel, which states that construction costs could be reduced by a quarter to a third through certain measures.

Reduce legal hurdles

In order to increase the number of new buildings, Ziegler emphasizes the need to reduce bureaucracy in the construction industry. Excessive standards and cost-increasing DIN standards should be dismantled in order to be able to build faster and more efficiently. The proposal to use “Building Type E” could help streamline the requirements. This would enable savings through reduced requirements for ceiling thicknesses and external walls as well as less complex technology. In addition, fewer car parking spaces and the elimination of underground parking spaces could further reduce construction costs.

The issue is accompanied by a broader initiative: an alliance of tenants' associations, construction unions and other associations recently warned of a “frightening social housing shortage”. According to a study analysis commissioned by the Pestel Institute and ARGE, among others, there is a shortage of over 700,000 apartments nationwide.

Necessary investments and measures

The alliance is calling for a joint “social housing construction offensive” by the federal and state governments. A new proposal envisages the creation of a special “Social Housing” fund, with a first step of 50 billion euros by 2025. The aim is to build 380,000 new social housing units by the end of the current legislative period. However, only around 20,000 new social housing units were built in 2022, which further underlines the need for action.

In order to create the required 100,000 new social housing units, at least 12.6 billion euros would be necessary per year. In order to achieve maximum climate protection, funding of 14.9 billion euros will be required annually. Interestingly, the study shows that the proportion of social housing has fallen from 25 percent in the 1980s to just 5 percent now.

In this context, Hamburg is considered a “model country for social housing”, while Saarland is at the bottom of the state ranking. In order to effectively address this crisis, sweeping changes to building law and the establishment of nationwide “housing hardship commissions” are necessary. These should also decide on 10 percent of social housing.