'The lack of housing is not given the necessary priority in the election manifestos of the parties,' criticises Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the Association of the German Furniture Industry. 'The declining housing construction rate should be much higher on the political agenda in the federal election campaign that is just beginning, after all, it is causing serious economic difficulties in the entire value chain from construction to furniture and is also extremely socially explosive.'
Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the Association of the German Furniture Industry.
The SPD's proposals mainly revolve around social housing and the rent cap, which is not very conducive to investment, the association's managing director summarizes. 'This means that the goal of 400,000 new apartments per year remains unattainable.' Among other things, it remains unclear how the planned strengthening of serial construction is to be implemented in practice.
In the CDU/CSU program, Kurth welcomes the higher, temporary special depreciation for multi-story apartment construction in tight housing markets and the reorientation of the funding programs. 'However, there are no targeted measures to reduce additional construction costs and overall, housing construction is far down the list and too vague in the CDU/CSU election program.'
The topic of housing is also only mentioned late in the FDP election manifesto, in the sixth of a total of seven chapters, as Kurth notes. He sees better tax depreciation options in housing construction and the property transfer tax exemption of 500,000 euros for the first owner-occupied property as a positive aspect as concrete help in reducing additional costs. The FDP has not provided any details on the planned federal-state offensive for construction, among other things.
According to the association's managing director, Alliance 90/The Greens, there are few concrete solutions for affordable housing, even if the issue is rightly declared to be 'one of the decisive social issues of our time'. 'However, concrete measures such as building extensions, converting office space and exchanging apartments do not create the necessary volume and the additional instruments listed along this path are too general with a simplification of building law and the digitalization of procedures.'
More information:
Associations of the German Furniture Industry
www.moebelindustrie.de