Suche
Mein Konto
Housing shortage in Western Pomerania: 3100 units are urgently missing!
There is a lack of over 3,000 apartments in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district; the construction site urgently needs lighting to meet demand.
Housing shortage in Western Pomerania: 3100 units are urgently missing!
There is an acute housing shortage in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district: around 3,100 apartments are currently missing, as a current analysis by the Pestel Institute shows. Despite a high number of vacant apartments over the last twelve months - 6,070 in total - according to the study, they are not ready for rapid re-letting. The new building seems to have stalled and the chief economist of the Pestel Institute, Matthias Günther, describes this process as “with the handbrake on”. To counteract the situation, an estimated 1,000 new apartments are needed every year.
However, only a modest 105 building permits were issued for new homes in the first half of 2023. The Pestel Institute and the Federal Association of German Building Materials Trade (BDB) are urgently calling for financial incentives and a simplification of building regulations. Katharina Metzger, President of the BDB, criticizes the lack of short-term stimulus for housing construction and points out that this sector is a central driver of the domestic economy.
Challenges and need for reform
A central point of criticism relates to the “excessive energy saving requirements”, which are viewed as “unnecessary ballast” as they drive up construction costs and thus also rents. Despite the alarming situation, the analysis currently does not see any concrete measures from the federal government to stimulate housing construction. Rather, the study and the BDB urge that politicians must present immediate solutions in order to effectively reduce the housing deficit.
According to the BBSR housing demand forecast, a high demand for new construction of almost 320,000 new residential units per year is expected in Germany by 2030. In particular, large centers for affordable housing are required, while in peripheral regions demand is falling and vacancies are rising.
The importance of affordable housing
It is clear that the need for new housing is great, both in high-demand metropolitan areas and in their surrounding areas. Given the current conditions, it is clear that more efforts are needed from the federal government to create attractive conditions for developers and investors.
The issue of housing construction will therefore continue to be one of the hottest issues that needs to be addressed in the coming years. Private builders could get started again with an “interest rate program with a maximum of 2 percent for cheap building money” - a proposal that has met with broad approval.
In summary, we can say: There is a lot to be done and if politicians do not react soon, the housing shortage in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district could continue to gain momentum. The numbers speak for themselves and illustrate the urgency of the issue.
For more information, you can download the analyzes from the Pestel Institute [here](https://www.nordkurier.de/regional/ueckermuende/in-vorpommern- Fehlen-ueber-3000-wohnungen-4077602) and the BBSR housing demand forecast View here.