The number of social housing in Hesse rose last year for the first time in a long time.

As Economics Minister Tarek Al-Wazir (The Greens) announced on Wednesday, the number was 80,515, almost 800 higher than in 2020. "The turnaround has been achieved," the minister stated.

"But the efforts must continue."

Ewald Hetrodt

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung in Wiesbaden.

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At 370 million euros, the amount of funding is now seven times as high as it was ten years ago.

"Social housing construction in Hesse no longer fails due to a lack of money." The funds for acquiring occupancy rights have been tripled.

The state is thus securing apartments from the existing stock that would otherwise fall out of the rent control.

Al-Wazir announced that the Federal Building Land Mobilization Act would be implemented in Hesse in the coming months.

The right of first refusal of municipalities with tight housing markets will be strengthened in order to facilitate the mobilization of space.

"This is an opportunity for medium- and long-term neighborhood development." In the long term, the only way to combat exorbitantly high rents is to build new apartments where they are lacking.

It is precisely there, however, that suitable areas are often in short supply.

Al-Wazir wants to protect tenants more

Al-Wazir also wants to introduce a regulation that will give tenants more protection against converting their rental apartments into condominiums.

In the 49 Hessian municipalities with a tight housing market, such conversions will have to be approved by the municipalities in the future.

The prerequisite is that it is a residential building with more than six apartments.

The federal law enables this reservation of approval from as little as three apartments, stated the chairman of the DGB Hessen-Thüringen, Michael Rudolph.

Al-Wazir must exploit this leeway if he wants to prove how important tenant protection is to him.

"The Green Economy Minister Al-Wazir is making himself the clerk of his black coalition partner," said Rudolph.

"As a result, the effect of the building land mobilization law is now threatening to fizzle out in Hesse." Rudolph praised the "positive development of public housing subsidies".

But it is mostly a catch-up effect.

Many applicants had been waiting for the publication of the new funding guideline with improved conditions.

"There can be no question of a real trend reversal"

"There can be no talk of a real trend reversal in social housing," said Jan Schalauske, leader of the Left Party in the state parliament.

The number in Hesse is stagnating at a historically low level.

Around 750,000, i.e. almost half of the tenant households in Hesse, are entitled to social housing.

That is almost ten times the current stock.

"The need is huge, as is the waiting time." The fact that Al-Wazir is speaking of success in the face of the housing crisis in Hesse is sheer mockery of all tenants who are desperately looking for affordable housing.

The state chairman of the tenants' association, Gert Reeh, also spoke of a "fundamentally positive development", but called for significantly greater efforts in the construction of new social housing.

The incentive for investors must be increased.

The homeowners' association criticized Al-Wazir's statement that the country's canceled subsidy program for the climate-friendly renovation of residential buildings would not be replaced.

It should be financed from the special fund of the state government to deal with the pandemic.

However, the state court declared it unconstitutional because it could not see any direct connection between the virus and the funding program.

The association criticized the pressure on building owners to convert their houses to be climate-neutral, but then the state would drop the necessary funding.

At the same time, support from the federal government will be stopped.

As reported, the former Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) announced the end of the support program for the end of January.

Due to the resulting flood of applications, the available billions were exhausted in a short time.

The new federal government must soon clarify how the funding will be continued, Al-Wazir said on Wednesday.