Regulations in several fieldsThe Minister of Construction announced an attack on rent usury
As minister, Verena Hubertz committed to significant increases in housing construction. At the same time, SPD politicians want “fair rules” in two areas: rental index and furnished apartments.
Federal Construction Minister Verena Hubertz has expressed support for stricter regulation of rental indices and furnished apartments and also announced that she wants to take action against rental usury. “Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig has extended the rental brake for four years. But that is not enough. We must also take action against rental usury,” Hubertz told media group newspaper Funke.
The SPD politician explained that there was a need for more supply through housing development, but also “fair rules of the game.” Many people will be concerned about the high cost of housing. Hubertz supports stricter regulations when renting furnished apartments. “If someone puts an old sofa in a corner and then charges 35 euros per square meter instead of 8 euros per square meter, and this happens in big cities, then it no longer has anything to do with the appropriate surcharge,” he said. The contract should make it clear which costs relate to the base rent and which relate to the furnishings. “Once this transparency is created, you can think about the regulations.”
The Minister of Construction also wants to take action on the rental index. “The rent index is a problem,” Hubertz said, referring to the expert commission set up by the Federal Ministry of Justice to develop regulatory proposals.
The funding program must be significantly restructured
At the same time, Hubertz also wants to restructure and simplify funding programs for new construction and building renovations. “We have a lot of funding programs: KNN, KFN, WEF, the younger generation buying the old – people can’t understand that anymore,” Hubertz said. “We want to simplify it now: There has to be a program for new construction and a renovation program.” They want to keep an eye on the family. When asked whether elder child support could be returned in the form of a grant rather than a low-interest loan at this time, Hubertz said: “We don’t think of any obstacles. Many scenarios are being calculated as to which measures could help.”
According to Hubertz, demand for the Young Buys Old funding program is currently growing positively. “Since the recent improvement in conditions, we have seen a two-fold increase in commitment,” he said. Critics have repeatedly complained about income limits in the funding program. The SPD politician expressed the prospect that these limits could definitely be readjusted: “The income limit is also not taboo. We continue to evaluate the limits, including in our budget consultations.” He believes regionally varying income limits are not legally possible.
In light of recently reactivated funding for new construction to EH-55 standards, Hubertz ruled out any continuation other than the construction backlog. “Unfortunately, this is not possible in the long term, because according to federal budget regulations we are not allowed to promote legal standards. And that is EH55,” he said.
