Thread

1. expedition32 · 1789971086 · focus · HN ↗

   After WW2 all European countries had massive housing shortages. It was not capitalism that solved it but heavy government involvement. In a span a few decades millions of people were re-housed. The free market is remarkably terrible at pumping out houses fast.

   1. andsoitis · 1789971679 · focus · HN ↗

      Then the govt. should build new homes; I'm not sure that taking homes from people ("nationalize") creates supply.

      1. usernametaken29 · 1789972625 · focus · HN ↗

         But it does. There’s immense amount of houses that are unused because they’re part of speculation, and it’s easier to leave them empty than to deal with tenants and their rights. This is an extremely well documented, systemic issue in large European metropolis and especially in Berlin. Forcing existing property to be used immediately adds supply, and it also lowers prices. Exactly the things large property developers do not want. But I don’t give a shit what they want. I want affordable rent.

         1. inglor_cz · 1789973465 · focus · HN ↗

            immense amount of houses that are unused because they’re part of speculation, ... This is an extremely well documented, systemic issue in large European metropolis and especially in Berlin.

            Source?

            Deutschlandatlas says that Berlin has whole 2 percent of empty apartments for all reasons, which is less then half of German average [0]

            Some of those apartments are being remodeled, some are just in the period where the previous tenant moved out and the next moved in.

            There are 16 thousand long-term empty apartments, which looks like a huge number, but it is only 0.8 percent of the total. [1]

            Even if those 16 thousand apartments could be all put to market (some have legal barriers, like being part of a complicated litigation), that easing would not last even for a single mayor's tenure. Last year alone, Berlin grew up by 17 thousand people. [2] It was not an extraordinary year.

            ALL that money that the Linke wants to sink into old housing should be spent to build new one, just to accomodate the arrivals.

            [0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.deutschlandatlas.bund.de&#x2F;DE&#x2F;Karten&#x2F;Wie-wir-wohnen&#x2F;046-Wohnungsleerstand.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.deutschlandatlas.bund.de&#x2F;DE&#x2F;Karten&#x2F;Wie-wir-wohne...

            [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.berlin.de&#x2F;sen&#x2F;wohnen&#x2F;rechtliches&#x2F;zweckentfremdungsverbot&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.berlin.de&#x2F;sen&#x2F;wohnen&#x2F;rechtliches&#x2F;zweckentfremdun...

            [2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de&#x2F;106-2025&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de&#x2F;106-2025&#x2F;

            1. usernametaken29 · 1789974013 · focus · HN ↗

               Thanks for actually proving my point! 2% of 2.07 million residential buildings is 54 thousand empty buildings. Let’s say an average number of 2 people per building. Hey, we could house 100 thousand people today. I think that would solve the annual 17 thousand growth for the coming years. And you’ve done nothing, spent nearly no money, no planning involved. Just a single law to force people to rent, and everyone will have housing. Hmm, crazy isn’t it?

               1. tirant · 1789976162 · focus · HN ↗

                  I just bought a house in Germany. It will remain unused for around 6 months due to renovation. It is naive to believe that any empty house is empty due to speculation.

                  My grandmother died some years ago, my family wanted to sell the house as they didn’t need it. It took 3 years to sell it because it’s in a location with no demand plus 6-12 months to arrange the inheritance legal details. You would say, the price was too high then! It was sold for €30K, a garden farmhouse with 6 bedrooms, garden and garage.

                  It’s inevitable that some houses are out of the market for some time due to many different reasons.

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