The federal government’s own housing stock contains 3,192 vacant apartments, according to the ministry’s response to an inquiry from Left party parliamentarian Caren Lay, which T‑Online reported. This figure represents roughly nine percent of the federal property portfolio. BImA, the federal real‑estate agency, oversees about 37,000 apartments in August 2025 – primarily assigned to federal employees such as police officers – and it states that a large share of them are in need of repairs or are under renovation. Only a small fraction of the vacancies are attributable to turnover between successive tenants. In addition, 955 of the vacant units are deemed non‑market‑active and are therefore no longer available for rent.
Lay criticised the government for leaving its own flats empty amid the housing crisis, saying it was “absolutely irresponsible” and that defects should not be left unaddressed. She highlighted that the BImA is required to remit significant sums to the federal budget, which limits the money available for remedial work. This constraint, she said, is a key reason for the backlog of neglected properties.
The vacancy problem also plagues federal commercial holdings. Almost half of the roughly 5.5 million square metres of federal commercial and other properties – including office, warehouse and production space – remains unused. The BImA reports that 2.6 million square metres of this stock are unoccupied.
Addressing the acute shortage of housing in many German cities, Lay called for a swift start and completion of the needed renovations, and urged that empty apartments be leased out as soon as possible.