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Rents are exploding: one in seven pays over 50 percent of their income!
Find out how rising rental costs in Germany are putting more and more households under strain and what strategies are being discussed as a solution.
Rents are exploding: one in seven pays over 50 percent of their income!
A current survey by the opinion research institute YouGov illustrates the dire housing situation in Germany. Around 15% of tenants spend more than half of their net income on rent. Single parents, city dwellers and people with a migrant background are particularly hard hit. This development is leading to an increasing social gap in housing conditions, which is widening further. Over 4,000 people were surveyed representatively, including almost 2,400 tenants. An alarming result of the survey is that even 3% of respondents have to spend more than 70% of their net income on rent.
The challenges in urban areas are enormous. City dwellers are up to three times more likely to be affected by cramped living space and high fixed costs than people in rural areas. Small apartments and rising additional costs put a strain on everyday life and make life in cities more difficult. According to the survey, 8% of respondents spend less than 20% of their income on rent, while around 50% spend between 20% and 39% of their income on housing. 17% even pay between 40% and 49% of their salary. It is noteworthy that 53% of renters live in apartments that have more rooms than people, in contrast to 76% of owners.
Growing housing shortage and rise in rental prices
The lack of affordable apartments in major German cities has a particularly significant impact on the living situation. According to estimates, there is a lack of around 1.9 million affordable apartments, including 1.4 million apartments under 45 square meters, which are particularly important for single-person households. The largest deficits can be found in cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne. The traffic light government had set itself the goal of creating 400,000 new apartments annually, but these targets are not being achieved. The high construction interest and costs mean that completions could decline dramatically.
In 2023, completions are expected to fall from 295,000 to an expected 223,000. This could almost reach the historic low of 2009. A survey shows that four out of ten households in large cities (around 8.6 million people) live with a problematically high rent burden. Almost 13 percent of renter households have less than the subsistence level after deducting rent.
Social impacts and solutions
The high rental costs not only cause financial burdens, but also prevent many people from participating in society. Experts warn that this limits investment in education and mobility, which in turn deepens social inequality. One proposal to improve the situation includes reintroducing non-profit status for housing companies. This could be compatible with EU law under certain conditions.
The traffic light government plans to increase spending on publicly subsidized housing. Strengthening social housing and improving rent controls are also being considered. These measures are urgently required to counteract the worsening housing shortage. The social problems associated with rising rent burdens require long-term strategies and clear rent regulations to stop the dramatic trend.
Leadersnet reports that the housing situation in Germany continues to deteriorate Boeckler shows the profound problems of housing supply and possible solutions.