The crisis has long since ceased to affect only those looking for housing—it threatens the entire region:

• 89 percent of companies view housing as a key issue for their employees
• Open positions remain unfilled
• Investments are being postponed or canceled

Berlin is in danger of losing its economic momentum—not because of a lack of ideas, but because of a shortage of housing.

All too often, the political debate revolves solely around regulation, intervention, and redistribution.

But:

• Rent caps, bans, and debates about expropriation don't create a single new apartment
• Uncertainties delay investment decisions and deter investors
• In the long run, they will cause a shortage of supply

Without new construction, any intervention is merely a stopgap measure.

Berlin moves too slowly—it often takes more than 10 years from planning to approval. That is unacceptable.

Specific proposal: Significantly speed up the planning process; ensure that zoning plans are finalized within a maximum of 2 years!

To pick up the pace, we need a real systemic change:

• closer, binding cooperation among all relevant authorities
• A swift and transparent balancing of interests, with a clear priority on housing construction
• Streamlining regulations, full digitization of all procedures
• Mandatory deadlines for planning and approval processes
• clear lines of responsibility and more efficient coordination
• More staff, expertise, and a commitment to implementation in the building departments

Such an approach breaks through political gridlock, provides planning certainty, enables new construction to proceed at a significantly faster pace, and reduces costs.

A city that wants to grow needs a government that can take action.

High construction costs are a key factor driving up prices. In recent years, they have risen by more than 30 percent, depending on the segment. Therefore:

• Review and Simplify Standards and Guidelines
• Promote new, more efficient floor plans
• Ensure that Building Type E is fully compliant with construction and rental laws
• Expand serial and modular construction through type approvals

The VBKI expressly supports new approaches to cost reduction. This requires a legally enshrined baseline standard that ensures legal certainty in construction contract and rental law while also facilitating simpler construction.

An important step in this direction is the numerous statutory and regulatory measures implemented by the building authority as part of the “Einfach Bauen Berlin” initiative (simplification of standards and procedures), which systematically consolidate these simplifications.

Affordable rents are the result of affordable housing construction.

Berlin is not yet making optimal use of many of its central areas. At the same time, there is a shortage of housing, particularly in well-connected locations. Vacant properties, underutilized land, and outdated land uses offer significant potential in this regard.

In particular, the repurposing of existing brownfield and commercial sites can create additional housing while also generating attractive open spaces that offer a high quality of life.

Therefore:

• Faster approval of land for development
• Open up the banks of the Spree and other central locations more to residential use and public access
• Enable development along the perimeter of Tempelhofer Feld
• Systematically put underutilized areas (e.g., storage areas or brownfield sites) to use
• Enhancing the Quality of Life: Expanding Public Spaces, Green Areas, and Access to Water
• Resolve conflicts over land use pragmatically and clearly prioritize housing construction

Modern urban development follows the principle of “inward development before outward expansion.” Central locations, in particular, enable dense, mixed-use, and vibrant neighborhoods with short distances between destinations. This reduces commuter traffic, eases the strain on infrastructure, and improves quality of life.

International experience shows that consistent use of inner-city land is one of the most effective ways to ease housing market pressures—more quickly and sustainably than developing new construction areas on the outskirts of cities.

Homeownership is a key pillar of social stability, wealth accumulation, and retirement planning. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly out of reach for large segments of the middle class—especially young families.

Therefore:

• Take targeted steps to make it easier to purchase a home for personal use (e.g., by reducing the real estate transfer tax for owner-occupiers)
• create a reliable framework, for example, for private financing
• Affordability should not be ensured in the long term through subsidies, but rather by reducing cost drivers above all else

Specific proposal: Introduce a quota for first-time homebuyers with moderate incomes who will live in the homes themselves in large new construction projects!

Homeownership strengthens ties to the city, stabilizes neighborhoods, and promotes social diversity. Especially in light of demographic changes, it is also an indispensable component of private financial planning. Homeownership complements the rental market—it does not replace it.

Legal violations such as excessive rent, illegal vacation rentals and subletting, or misuse of property distort the market and undermine trust.

The following are required:

• stricter controls
• effective sanctions
• Consistent enforcement of existing laws

Those who don't follow the rules hurt everyone—especially tenants.

Berlin has a massive efficiency problem with its housing stock. Many people live in apartments that are too large because moving is financially unattractive.

• more than 56% single-person households
• Many large apartments are occupied by single people

But coercion doesn't help—incentives do.

A concrete proposal: Don't accept the status quo—actively promote moving to a new home!

For example, through:

• Relocation Bonuses and Financial Incentives
• Support for home exchanges (e.g., platforms and advice)
• Enabling housing authorities to actively reach out to tenants and offer smaller apartments, rather than allocating housing exclusively through a lottery system
• Regular Needs Assessments for Tenants of WBS Apartments

The goal is to create attractive alternatives—not to put pressure on people.

Even a moderate increase in the rate of moving could lead to better satisfaction of housing demand. Greater turnover in the housing stock can make thousands of apartments available—especially for families.

Public funds must be directed where they will have the greatest impact:

• Construction of New Public Housing Units
• Modernization and Decarbonization

Support mechanisms such as the housing eligibility certificate must be reviewed regularly to ensure that those in need receive support for as long as necessary and to prevent windfall effects.

The debate over socialization merely fuels sensationalism and serves the purpose of political mobilization. It distracts from the real problem—the housing shortage.

Socialization means:

• Costs in the tens of billions
• not a single new apartment
• widespread uncertainty and a pullback by investors
• Uncertainty in the financial markets, higher interest rates on all real estate loans.

Socialization does not solve the housing crisis—it entrenches and exacerbates it.