Working Together to Address the Housing Shortage

10 Ideas for a Growing Berlin with Sufficient Housing, Stable Rents, and Economic Strength 

The housing shortage has long since become a negative factor for the capital’s attractiveness. Rising rents, social hardship, and increasing difficulties for companies in recruiting skilled workers are direct consequences of an insufficient housing supply. Against this backdrop, we are calling forafundamental shift in mindset regarding housing policy—and, through our Real Estate Committee , we present 10 proposals for a growing Berlin with sufficient housing, stable rents, and economic strength.

At the heart of the matter is a clear and central demand: planning and permitting procedures must be drastically shortened—to a maximum of two years. Given that these procedures currently often take well over ten years, we see this as the key to getting housing construction in Berlin back on track.

In addition to streamlining procedures, we call for, among other things, more efficient administration through digitization and clear lines of responsibility, a reduction in construction costs through simplified standards, greater utilization of inner-city areas, and better conditions for investment and owner-occupied housing.

At the same time, we are taking a clear stance on two key issues in the current debate:

• Social housing is considered expensive, risky, and counterproductive, as it does not create a single new apartment and further hinders investment.
• At the same time, we call for the consistent enforcement of laws and regulations—for example, in cases of excessive rent, illegal vacation rentals, or misuse of property—in order to strengthen confidence in the housing market and ensure fair conditions for everyone.

Overall, we advocate for a more objective approach to the housing policy debate. Ideological extremes and polarizing measures would hinder rather than promote new construction.

This paper is intended as a constructive contribution to the debate and as an invitation to all relevant stakeholders to take shared responsibility. The vision is a growing city with sufficient housing, stable rents, and long-term economic strength.

You can find the full version of the discussion paper here:

About the Committee: The VBKI Real Estate Committee brings together leading representatives from the real estate industry, planning, financing, and urban development to actively shape the development of Berlin as a business location. The goal is to develop sustainable solutions to key challenges such as the housing shortage, construction costs, and investment conditions, and to promote dialogue with policymakers and society. The committee brings together diverse perspectives from the business world and the field and actively seeks dialogue with policymakers, government officials, and the public. The committee is chaired by Anette Weller and Christian Schulz-Wulkow.

Would you like to explore this topic in greater depth? We would be happy to put you in touch with experts from the VBKI Real Estate Committee. 

In the headline of the latest issue of VBKI-SPIEGEL magazine, we focus on the housing shortage—read here.

Event Announcement: On May 6, we'll be discussing solutions to the housing shortage with experts .Click herefor more information and to register .