Freie Wähler on housing

The Free Voters want to develop concepts for affordable, age-appropriate housing. As examples they name a grant for building projects that allow several generations to live together, plus subsidies for barrier-free housing.

Many people need a different home when they get old. The Free Voters want affordable solutions for this. People who build homes for young and old should get money. There should also be grants for homes without barriers.

The platform argues that housing needs change in old age, for example after leaving work, after the death of a relative, or because of health limitations. It plans concepts for living in an age-appropriate and social environment. A multigenerational grant would support building projects that let young and old live together. In addition, subsidies for conversions or for the rent of barrier-free homes are to be supported.

The Free Voters want to bring rents down in high-demand regions by building more housing. To do so, building regulations are to be relaxed, social housing given more funding and cooperatives supported. The party rejects a rent cap because, in its view, it deters investment.

Rents are high in many cities. The Free Voters want to build more homes. Building rules should become simpler. There should be more money for social housing. The party does not want a rent cap. A rent cap is a fixed limit on rents.

Older people, low earners and families should be able to stay in their familiar neighborhoods in expensive metro areas. The plan includes new housing cooperatives that write social housing into their bylaws. Building regulations judged excessive are to be rolled back and funding for social housing increased. Earmarked citizen bonds modeled on Munich are to give public authorities the money to exercise rights of first refusal on real estate. The platform rejects unlimited densification of cities; green spaces are to stay and housing subsidies are to include surrounding areas more.

The Free Voters want to expand protection for tenants. Municipalities are to receive earmarked funds to offer their own tenant protection modeled on Munich. The background, in the party's view, is that many social housing units will soon lose their rent restrictions.

The Free Voters want to protect tenants better. Towns and cities should get money for this. With it they can help tenants, as Munich does. Tenants should be able to fight rents that are too high.

The platform points to Germany's low homeownership rate and the resulting dependence on the rental market. It says the expiry of rent restrictions on social housing will peak from 2030, which the party describes as a looming social catastrophe. It sees retirees on basic income support and people with low wages as especially at risk. Municipal tenant protection is meant to supplement and relieve existing tenant associations.

The Free Voters want more people to live in a home they own. To that end, they want to bring back the Eigenheimzulage (a home buyer subsidy), strengthen rent-to-own models, and lower the real estate transfer tax. The platform argues that home ownership protects against poverty in old age and makes the country more resilient.

The Free Voters want more people to own their home. The state should again give money to home buyers. The tax on buying land should go down. People with little money should also be able to own a home.

The platform lists four elements: bringing back the Eigenheimzulage, stronger rent-to-own models, a lower real estate transfer tax, and more leasehold plots. To get the states to lower the transfer tax, it wants to remove disincentives in the fiscal equalization system between the states. Leasehold land is meant mainly to help households with low and middle incomes. In addition, housing for people in training or at university is to be supported, because rents are high in the big cities where vocational schools and universities are located.

The Free Voters want to keep city and village centers livable and stop their decline. They call for more money for urban development and village renewal programs and for broader use of Milieuschutz (rules protecting a neighborhood's residents from displacement).

The Free Voters want lively city and village centers. The state should spend more money on them. They also want more Milieuschutz. That means rules that protect people in a neighborhood from being pushed out.

The platform calls for higher investment in urban development funding and in village renewal. The aim is to keep city and town centers across Germany from losing more of their vitality. In addition, municipalities are to get more Milieuschutz tools in designated social preservation areas.

The Free Voters call for the Neue Wohngemeinnützigkeit (a new non-profit housing scheme) to be put into practice quickly. Under such a scheme, landlords receive benefits if they offer permanently affordable housing. The platform argues that the housing market will not improve without new instruments.

The Free Voters want a new non-profit housing scheme soon. Landlords get benefits if they keep rents low for good. The party says housing is getting harder to find. So new tools are needed.

The platform demands concrete steps from the federal government to make the new non-profit housing scheme a reality. It points out that the situation on the housing market keeps getting tighter. In the party's view, no noticeable improvement can be expected without additional instruments.