Contents page 1 — Social housing, but the right side 2 — “This is pure left-wing populism” On a page
“housing in Frankfurt read? Only in Offenbach.” In red letters on a yellow background, the spell stuck to a lamppost. Offenbach-the jokes are in Frankfurt is pretty popular to draw in the neighboring town, rather less. And about the housing market, no one laughs here anymore. At least, not any of the rent. Frankfurt has the second highest Rents in Germany, after Munich. On average tenants pay according to the Rent index more than nine euros per square meter, cold. And anyone looking for a new apartment, you must lie down in the middle of almost 15 euros per square metre has been calculated by the real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle SE.
Many can’t keep up with that. At least the income to more than half of the Frankfurt House would be entitled to sit on a subsidized apartment, either from the traditional social housing, or from an urban middle-class program. This is the result of a study by the Institute for Housing and environment for the city of Frankfurt. Almost 10,000 households, according to the housing Department on the waiting list.
Many people have the feeling to be a market delivered beyond the political control. The Berlin Initiative “Deutsche Wohnen & co. expropriate” has recently triggered a debate on whether large private apartment to be expropriated companies, to change that. In Frankfurt, a left Alliance proposes a different strategy. With a “hire decision” in order to change the business policy of the municipal housing society in a radical way. The idea is that When the flats start, which are already in public hands, there is the Rent lower, and more social housing build.
“We want to have access to the housing policy”
More than 40 groups, including tenants, initiatives, local groups of the left party, the Green youth, trade unions and students representatives, together closed. Just like in Berlin they continued desire to be a citizen. So you want to force rent rebates and more social housing. Around 25,000 signatures collected by the Initiative, according to its own information, and in January submitted. Needed only 15,000 would have been. Now, the city examines whether the citizens ‘ petition meets the legal requirements.
Conny Petzold is convinced. The 32-Year-old has collected in the past few months, signatures for the rent decision. Petzold, short, dark blonde hair, yellow scarf, gray coat, goes through the Hellerhof estate in Frankfurt district of Gallus, once workers and so-called problem quarters, then upgraded. A couple of streets from new residential towers stretching to the sky. There has arisen in the past few years, the European quarter, where the houses hot Praedium or the Westside Tower. Send name, Concierge Service and underground Parking garages, such as in the European quarter, there is not in the Hellerhof housing estate. Two-storey multi-family houses with flat roofs on top line the street, some with a slightly weathered facade, the other with fresh color accents and solar panels at the top. Was created the settlement in the late twenty years. “The apartment for the subsistence minimum” is the Slogan of the New Frankfurt, the great city planning program under Ernst May. Then the answer to the apartment question.
And to the Ideal wants to build the Rent-or-break, says Petzold for a walk. “We want to understand access to housing policy and as a General interest,” says the political scientist, who works for the Frankfurt club “tenants helping tenants”. “We need a housing supply in the cities, which serves the people.” Private investors not to be trusted. The houses, in which Petzold’s passing, also today, the municipal housing company ABG Holding. Throughout the city there are more than 52,000, according to ABG, the company provides nearly a quarter of Frankfurt’s living room. “These apartments are already city property. That’s why this is the lever that we want to start,” says Petzold.
