Many apartments in Germany will not be built in the next few years – despite the great demand.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin From March, builders should again be able to submit applications for new construction funding according to the new criteria. A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Construction confirmed the date to the Handelsblatt. The ministry had announced the new funding program for 2022, but had not yet given a final date. The ministry has not yet provided details.
The economy has been waiting for the new funding conditions for a long time. In the future, the volume for new building subsidies will be 1.1 billion euros, combined with high standards for energy-efficient construction. Of this, 350 million euros are to be available from June for the promotion of climate-friendly homes.
750 million euros are intended for all other applicants, such as housing groups or cooperatives. These applications should now be able to be submitted to the Reconstruction Loan Corporation (KfW) from March.
The construction industry speaks of a bitter disappointment. “The amount of funding is so low that the administrative effort is probably not even worth it,” said Tim-Oliver Müller, General Manager of the Main Association of the German Construction Industry, the Handelsblatt.
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The federal government is letting the tenants down, he said. Because: “Affordable living without subsidies does not exist – especially not in times of crisis and in such an over-regulated market as housing construction.”
Criticism of the funding amount also from the coalition partner FDP
Daniel Föst, construction and housing policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, was also mostly critical: “It’s good that new construction funding is starting up again. The builders need planning security,” he told the Handelsblatt. However, Föst only sees the program as a “first step”. So far, only the efficiency house standard 40, which can only be built “at enormous expense”, has been funded.
“These ever-increasing energy requirements have so far not been expedient. Instead, we must finally focus on reducing CO2 emissions by all means and not just look at energy efficiency,” said the FDP politician. The traffic light also agreed in the coalition agreement.
EH40 means that a building only uses 40 percent of the energy that a legally defined standard house requires. In addition, since last year the quality seal for sustainable building (QNG) has been required, which is linked to requirements for the ecological quality of buildings, such as the use of low-emission building materials.
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Föst also takes a critical look at the amount of financial resources provided so far. “The promotion of new construction needs more funds if we want to achieve our goals for new construction.” According to Föst, there are billions in funding for energy-related refurbishment. “Whatever is left should go into new construction funding.”
The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology is responsible for funding for refurbishment of existing buildings. In the future, 12 to 13 billion euros are to flow here, which is significantly more than in the promotion of new construction.
There is a shortage of housing, especially in the metropolitan areas, but housing construction is increasingly collapsing. Housing experts do not see any fundamental change for 2023 and 2024 either.
More: The number of new apartments will fall sharply in 2023.