What do the parties say on housing?

The AfD wants to make building and housing cheaper by abolishing the property tax, the real estate transfer tax for owner-occupiers and the broadcasting fee. The Building Energy Act, the carbon charge and the renewable energy surcharge would also go. The aim is for more people to afford their own home.

The AfD wants to make housing cheaper. Several taxes would be dropped. One example is the property tax. The broadcasting fee would also go. The AfD wants to scrap the heating law. Buyers from outside the EU would pay more tax.

The AfD wants to turn more renters into owners. Barriers to converting rental units into owner-occupied ones would be removed, and tenants could buy homes from public housing companies at a discount. The party says ownership protects against poverty in old age and rising rents.

The AfD wants more people to own their home. Renters would get help when they buy. They could buy homes from public companies at a lower price. Local people would come first for land and housing.

The AfD considers social housing construction a failure and wants to support low-income renters more through Wohngeld (housing benefit) instead. It rejects the rent brake and rent caps as overregulation and a barrier to investment.

The AfD wants to build less social housing. People with little money would get more housing benefit instead. Housing benefit is money from the state for rent. The AfD is against the rent brake. That is a rule that limits rent increases.

The AfD wants to allocate as few apartments as possible to asylum seekers and recognized asylum holders in areas with housing shortages, in order to ease the shortage especially for young families. Certain troubled neighborhoods would receive no further asylum seekers at all.

Some areas have too few apartments. Asylum seekers should get almost no apartments there. This is meant to help young families. No more asylum seekers should move to certain troubled neighborhoods. The AfD rejects special building rules for shelters.

The BSW wants to strengthen nonprofit housing construction and provide municipal housing companies with public money. Social housing is to stay rent-restricted permanently; the platform cites Vienna as a model.

The BSW wants more affordable homes to be built. Cities and nonprofit companies should get cheap loans for this. Social housing should stay affordable forever. Building should go faster.

The BSW wants to replace the Mietpreisbremse (rent brake) with a nationwide rent cap. In regions where housing is unaffordable on a normal income, rents are not to rise until the end of the decade.

The BSW wants a rent cap for all of Germany. That is a fixed limit on rents. In expensive areas, rents should not rise until 2030. Landlords should pay for renovations themselves.

The CDU and the CSU want to cut building regulations substantially, provide more land for building and allow no new standards that drive up costs. According to the platform, only more supply will ease the housing market.

Building should become cheaper and faster. There should be fewer rules for this. There should be more land to build on. There should be no new costly building rules.

The CDU and the CSU want to boost new construction with higher depreciation allowances and focus subsidies on apartment buildings in tight markets. Home ownership is to become easier to reach; the parties also commit to tenant protection, including rules on rent levels.

People who build homes should pay less tax. This should lead to more homes. Families should find it easier to buy their own home. Protection for renters should stay.

The FDP wants to boost housing construction with better tax depreciation, fewer requirements and faster permits. New government rules that make building more expensive would be halted immediately. The goal is more affordable housing.

The FDP wants more homes to be built. Building should become faster and cheaper. Many building rules should go. Offices should handle requests faster. If the office does not answer in time, the request counts as approved.

The FDP does not want to extend the Mietpreisbremse (rent brake) and rejects a nationwide rent cap. In its view, the regulation deters investors and private landlords and so worsens the housing shortage.

The rent brake limits rents in new leases. The FDP wants this rule to end. It also wants no rent cap for all of Germany. The FDP says companies build more homes with fewer rules.

The FDP regards Wohngeld (housing benefit) as the right tool to help people with low earnings. It wants to coordinate it better with Bürgergeld (citizen's income) and other benefits so that additional work pays off more.

Housing benefit helps people with low pay cover their rent. The FDP thinks this benefit is right. It wants to match it better with other aid. People who work more should end up with more money.

The FDP wants to exempt the purchase of a first owner-occupied home from real estate transfer tax up to 500,000 euros. The allowance would rise by 100,000 euros per child. The aim is to help more people become homeowners.

People pay a tax when they buy a home. The FDP wants to drop this tax for the first home you live in. This applies up to a price of 500,000 euros. Each child adds 100,000 euros.

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 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.

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 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 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 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 Greens want to make housing more affordable. To do so, rent increases are to be limited and social housing construction supported.

The Greens want housing to cost less. Rents should not rise so fast. The state should support low-cost homes. There should be a plan for enough homes.

The Greens want to limit rent increases more strongly. The Mietpreisbremse (rent brake) would be extended with fewer exemptions, and rent freezes would become possible in tight housing markets.

Many people pay more and more rent. The Greens want stricter limits on rents. The rent brake should last longer and be stricter. In some places rents should not rise at all. Tenants should no longer pay the property tax.

The Greens want to end homelessness by 2030 and further develop the National Action Plan for this purpose. In the platform's view, having a home of one's own is a precondition for dignity and participation in society.

Some people have no home. The Greens want to change that by 2030. Homeless people should get a home first. No one should end up on the street after an eviction. Help should be open to everyone.

The Greens want to protect tenants better against termination of their leases and permanently restrict the conversion of rental apartments into condominiums. Swapping apartments is to become legally easier so that housing is used better.

The Greens want to protect tenants better from losing their home. This applies when owners want the home for themselves. It also applies when tenants owe rent. Tenants should know their rights better. People should be able to swap homes more easily.

The Greens want to make it easier to acquire a first owner-occupied home, which the platform says offers security, freedom and provision for old age. Young families in particular would get low-interest government loans, and the incidental costs of buying would fall.

The Greens want more people to be able to buy their own home. The state should give cheap loans. This helps young families most. Fees for brokers and notaries should go down.

The Greens want to create more housing mainly within existing buildings. To do so, building law would be simplified, procedures digitized and harmonized nationwide, and construction standards scaled back. Converting should become more attractive than demolishing and building new.

The Greens want more homes in buildings that already exist. For example in empty offices or under the roof. Building should become easier and cheaper. There should be less red tape.

The Greens want to prevent speculation in homes and building land. They plan public land funds, a land policy more oriented toward the common good, and limits on payouts by housing companies that let their buildings decay.

The Greens want to stop speculation with homes and land. The federal government should get its own land fund. Companies should look after their buildings. If not, they may pay out less profit. Tax tricks in property deals should end.

The Greens want to raise federal funding for social housing and give special support to non-profit and cooperative housing companies. Rent and occupancy restrictions on such housing would become permanent.

The Greens want to spend more money on social housing. These are cheap homes for people with little money. These homes should stay cheap for good. There should also be more homes without barriers.

The Greens want to focus subsidies for building and renovation on low and middle incomes and scale them by the energy saved. The renovation rate should rise significantly, and tenants should benefit from lower housing costs.

The Greens want to change the support for renovating homes. People with low incomes should get more money. People who save a lot of energy should also get more. More homes should be renovated each year. Tenants should benefit too.

The Left calls for a rent cap for all of Germany that not only limits rents but lowers them in tight markets. As an immediate step, rent increases are to be ruled out for six years.

The Left wants a rent cap for all of Germany. Rents should not rise for six years. Very high rents should even go down. Small shops and tradespeople should also be able to get protection.

The Left wants to protect tenants more strongly against termination, tightly limit owner-occupancy claims and generally ban converting rental units into condos. It also calls for a right to swap apartments and mandatory tenant councils.

Tenants should be better protected from losing their home. Landlords should only claim an apartment for close relatives. Rental apartments should no longer be turned into condos. Tenants should be able to swap apartments without paying more.

The Left wants to scrap the modernization surcharge so that renovations do not raise total rent including heating. Property tax is also no longer to be passed on to tenants, and housing benefit is to be easier to claim.

Today landlords can add renovation costs to the rent. The Left wants to end this. Tenants should also no longer pay the property tax. Housing benefit should be easier to get. Heating bills that are too high should be punished.

The Left wants to put 20 billion euros a year into nonprofit housing and reach a 30 percent share of such housing in the medium term. Municipalities are to get rights of first refusal, and public subsidies would go only to nonprofit construction.

The state should spend 20 billion euros each year on affordable housing. Social housing should stay social housing forever. Cities should get the first chance to buy land. Public money should only go to nonprofit housing. Nonprofit means: not built to make a profit.

The Left wants to transfer the apartments of real estate corporations with more than 3,000 units into public ownership. It thereby backs the initiative Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen (Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co).

Some corporations own more than 3,000 apartments. The Left wants to bring these apartments into public ownership. A public body would then manage them. Only small shareholders should get compensation.

The Left wants to record vacant apartments and charge 10 euros per square meter so that leaving them empty does not pay. In cases of long vacancy, apartments would be temporarily seized and rented out.

Many apartments stand empty. The Left wants owners to pay a fee for that: 10 euros per square meter. If an apartment is empty for very long, the state should take it over for a time. Then it gets repaired and rented out.

The Left wants to enshrine a right to one's own home in the Basic Law and end homelessness. Evictions that lead to homelessness are to be banned.

Every person should have a right to their own home. This should be written in the constitution. Nobody should be evicted onto the street. Homeless people should get an apartment first. Refugees should no longer have to live in mass shelters.

The Left wants to stop energy-saving renovations from raising rents and, to that end, abolish the passing on of renovation costs to tenants. Demolishing existing buildings to make way for expensive new ones is to be largely banned.

Today landlords can add renovation costs to the rent. The Left wants to end this. After a renovation, housing should not cost more than before. Tearing down homes should only rarely be allowed.

The ÖDP calls for a nationwide rule allowing cities and towns to require a share of price-controlled living space in multi-story buildings. The platform places this within a social reform meant to reverse redistribution from the bottom to the top.

The ÖDP wants more affordable homes. Cities and towns should be allowed to set rules for builders. Some homes in large buildings should have a limited price. There should be a law for all of Germany.

The PdF wants to advance the construction of barrier-free, age-appropriate housing through a dedicated funding program and to give tax breaks for multigenerational housing projects. Retrofits of existing homes would also get financial support so older people can stay in familiar surroundings.

The PdF wants more homes for older people. These homes should have no steps or barriers. The state should help pay for building them. Changes to existing homes should also get money. Homes where young and old live together should get support too.

The SPD wants to make the Mietpreisbremse (rent brake), which expires at the end of 2025, permanent and extend it to buildings first occupied up to 2019. Loopholes are to be closed and tenants better protected against rent gouging and displacement.

The rent brake limits the rent in new leases. It ends in late 2025. The SPD wants it to stay for good. It should also cover newer buildings. The SPD wants to stop tricks that get around it.

In tight housing markets, rents would be allowed to rise by no more than six percent over three years, and only up to the local reference rent. The SPD wants to halt rent growth in metropolitan areas and also ease tenants' burden from utility costs and property tax.

Rents are rising fast in many cities. The SPD wants to limit that. There, rent could go up by six percent at most in three years. Landlords should not pass the full property tax on to tenants.

The SPD wants students and apprentices to pay no more than about 400 euros for a room in a shared flat. To that end, more dormitories are to be built, the rent brake made easier to enforce, and the housing allowance in BAföG (student aid) raised regularly.

Rooms for students and trainees are often expensive. The SPD wants a shared-flat room to cost 400 euros at most, where possible. It wants more dorms to be built. A website should help lower rents that are too high.

The SPD wants to keep investment in social housing permanently high, set up a federal housing company and pursue a socially oriented land policy. At the same time, construction costs are to fall and procedures to speed up. The platform treats housing as a public good that should not be left to the market alone.

There are too few cheap homes. The SPD wants more money for social housing. The federal government should start its own housing company. Cities should find it easier to buy land. Building should become faster and cheaper.

The SPD wants to make buying a home easier, especially for young families in small towns and municipalities. The "Jung kauft Alt" (young buys old) subsidy program is to be made permanent and expanded. According to the platform, home ownership serves housing supply, wealth building and security in old age.

Many people dream of owning a home. The SPD wants to help. Young families should get cheap loans for older houses. Towns should be able to sell building land more cheaply to local people.

The Tierschutzpartei regards housing as a basic right and calls for a rent cap covering all of Germany. Rent gouging should be consistently prosecuted. In the long run, no one should spend more than a third of their net pay on rent.

The party wants a limit on rents in all of Germany. People who charge far too much rent should be punished. Rent should cost no more than one third of take-home pay.

The Tierschutzpartei wants the federal government to build housing itself and bring more existing housing into public ownership. New construction would have to include a fixed share of social housing. This is meant to slow the rise in rents.

The state should build homes itself. It should also take over more existing homes. A fixed share of new homes should be social housing. These are low-cost homes for people with little money.

The Tierschutzpartei calls for a levy on vacant properties to prevent speculation. Empty residential and commercial space could be seized for temporary use. Vacant office buildings would be converted into housing.

Many homes stand empty. The party wants owners to pay a fee for that. The state should be able to take over empty rooms for a while. Empty offices should become homes.

Volt wants to gain new housing mainly from existing stock: by converting vacant commercial buildings, densifying and adding floors. Municipalities are also to own more apartments themselves. The platform justifies this with housing that is both affordable and climate-friendly.

Volt wants to create more homes. Empty offices and shops would become apartments. It would be easier to add floors to existing buildings. Cities and towns would own more apartments themselves.

Volt wants to overcome homelessness with the Housing First approach, under which people are given a permanent home first. In addition, a basic right to adequate and affordable housing would be written into the Basic Law (Germany's constitution). According to the platform, the approach has proven itself internationally.

Volt wants nobody to have to live on the street. Homeless people would get a permanent home first. This is called Housing First. They would also get help, for example with debt and work. The right to an affordable home would be put in the constitution.

Volt wants to advance low-cost, climate-friendly housing construction with a dedicated subsidy system. Cooperatives and building groups would get tax advantages, and social housing commitments would last longer. According to the platform, the aim is a lasting basic supply of affordable housing.

Volt wants to support building low-cost homes. The homes should also be good for the climate. Housing cooperatives would pay less tax. Social housing would stay cheap for longer.

Volt wants to speed up construction through uniform rules, digital procedures and leaner permitting. The building codes of the federal states would be aligned. The platform sees removing legal obstacles as a route to efficient and climate-friendly construction projects.

Volt wants building to go faster. Building rules should be similar in all states. Applications would be handled digitally. Builders who offer good options for buses, bikes or car sharing would have to build fewer parking spaces.