In Germany, fewer and fewer people live in their own house or apartment. This is the result of an analysis conducted by the German Building Materials Trade Association (BDB) and the Pestel Institute. The results were presented at the construction fair in Munich, which started on January 13.
It turns out that the home or apartment ownership rate is only 44 percent and is the lowest in 15 years. The authors of the study appeal to politicians for public subsidies and tax breaks to enable more households to buy their own apartments.
In the long term, Germany must transform itself from a country of renters to a country of tenants owners – argue scientists from the Pestel Institute. – A property ratio of at least 50, as in Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden, would primarily bring greater social stability, explained the director of the Institute, Matthias Günther. The goal should be to enable 500,000 households annually to purchase their own house or apartment.
Germany at the end
In the European comparison, Germany ranks penultimate in Europe. Similarly, in Denmark and France the ownership rate is below 50 percent, and in Switzerland it is even below 40 percent.
The highest rates of owning apartments or houses are in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In Poland, this indicator is almost 80%.
The Czech Republic is right behind Poland, ItalyNorway, Portugal, Spain and Belgium – with rates above 70%.
“Zero Chances”
In Germany “for average earning money “the chance of owning a house today is zero,” says Matthias Günther, “and the German government is unable to support people in their desire to have their own home. First of all, there is a lack of effective subsidies. The future government in Berlin must restore them,” he insisted. state loans with low interest rates for people without large equity capital or for the abolition of acquisition tax real estateif its owners live in this house or apartment themselves.
Home ownership is “an important guarantee for retirement security,” Günther explained. Rents are becoming an increasing burden for seniors, and in some cases, they are pushing older people into poverty. (AFP/home)
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle