“Borders on refusing to work”
SPD accuses Buschmann of blocking tenancy law
January 26, 2024, 12:30 a.m
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The housing shortage in Germany is increasing and housing costs in large cities are becoming unaffordable. At the same time, the rent control expires. The Social Democrats accuse the FDP of slowing down the planned tightening. Justice Minister Buschmann is taking the project “hostage”.
After months of standstill, the SPD is calling for the FDP to pivot to tighten rental law to protect against further price increases in Germany. “The issue of housing and renting is one of the central tasks for the first half of the year,” said deputy group leader Dirk Wiese to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann should no longer block proposed legislation on tenancy law and pre-emption law in a non-expert manner. “In fact, I encourage the Federal Minister of Justice to finally be part of the solution and not continue to be part of the problem,” said Wiese. According to the report, the SPD criticizes that the FDP politician has taken the planned changes “hostage” because SPD Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is opposing Buschmann’s wish to prohibit data retention without cause.
What was actually agreed was to extend the rent control. It expires in 2025 and so far guarantees that the rent for new rentals in sought-after areas can be a maximum of ten percent above the local comparable rent. The government also wants to ensure that existing rents are only allowed to rise by eleven percent within three years, compared to 15 percent so far. Cities with 100,000 inhabitants or more should also introduce a qualified rent index. The Social Democratic Construction Minister Klara Geywitz also wants to introduce a modified right of first refusal for cities and municipalities – this will only not apply if buyers agree to forego luxury renovations and conversion into property for up to 20 years.
Scholz and Geywitz were also criticized
At the same time, pressure is growing in the SPD on Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Construction Minister Geywitz to keep promises made during the election campaign on the issue of housing construction; Scholz had promised to build 400,000 new apartments per year in order to reduce rents in the country through more supply. Buschmann’s behavior in particular “borders on refusing to work,” said Juso boss Philipp Türmer to the SZ. But there was also a lack of strong impetus from the Ministry of Construction on the housing issue. “The numbers of newly built apartments, especially social housing, are miles away from the coalition’s own goals.” Strong state housing construction is needed, says Türmer.
“In the short term, this can even work under the auspices of the debt brake by providing federally owned institutions or companies with credit authorizations.” The financial need for social housing alone is estimated at 50 billion euros. “The traffic light must finally make the fight for affordable housing a priority,” demanded Türmer, also in the direction of the Chancellor. “Hardly any other political issue causes such headaches, especially for young people, as high rents and the lack of living space. In my opinion, not all cabinet members are sufficiently aware of this emergency.”