Greens party leader Felix Banaszak argues that merely increasing new housing construction is not enough to solve the deeply rooted affordability crisis in major German cities, and he calls for significantly stronger market regulation alongside building initiatives. Speaking to RTL and ntv, Banaszak stated that the notion that housing shortages can be fixed solely by building more is incorrect. He emphasized that parallel regulatory measures are necessary.
He highlighted the drastic cost increases in urban centers like Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Cologne, where tenants are sometimes forced to pay double or triple for smaller accommodations than they previously could. “Rents in major cities have almost doubled over the last ten years. To believe that simply continuing construction will solve this problem would be wrong” he warned.
While acknowledging that some movement is occurring in the cabinet-such as changes regarding index rents-Banaszak pointed out the inherent complexity of regulation. He questioned how a typical tenant would be able to clearly identify their rights against a landlord in such a complicated system. Furthermore, he criticised loopholes that allow landlords to undermine existing rent controls. According to Banaszak, rent regulations can often be circumvented because the potential for extra profit remains, even if minor updates, such as installing a sofa, allow landlords to effectively nullify complete regulation.
According to the Greens leader, there are even too many incentives that allow landlords to speculatively keep units vacant, intending to rent them out later at an inflated price. “There is still much to be done” Banaszak concluded. While he admitted that the German government’s steps are heading in the right direction, they are far too cautious given that secure housing is arguably the most significant social issue of our time.