BERLIN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The German Tenants' Association (DMB) on Wednesday called for a constitutional amendment to enshrine the "fundamental right to affordable housing".
"The realization by the governing parties at the beginning of this legislative period that housing and rents are the social questions of our time must finally be followed by action," said DMB President Franz-Georg Rips.
A "mere lip service and slogans" from the German government as well as "small reforms in tenancy law" would not suffice, Rips said.
One of the DMB's main goals is to prioritize the construction of new affordable rental apartments. It criticizes the government for missing its target of constructing around 375,000 new apartments in Germany per year.
According to the DMB, only 285,914 apartments were constructed in 2018, a slight increase compared to 2017.
"We need affordable rental flats and more social housing so that new construction can actually have a dampening effect on rental prices and so that even those on normal incomes are able to rent and pay for a flat in the city again," Rips said.
A few weeks ago, around 40,000 people flooded the streets of Berlin protesting against high rents and the displacement of tenants. Similar demonstrations also took place in the cities of Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart.
According to a report published in March by IBB, the business development bank of the federal state of Berlin, the "supply shortfall" was around 96,000 apartments in the capital city alone.
"By 2021, around 20,000 new apartments will be needed in Berlin every year," said Katrin Lompscher, Berlin's senator for urban development. However, according to the IBB report, only around 16,000 apartments are currently completed each year.
The DMB also calls for a "radical tenancy law reform" because "years will pass" until measures for new housing construction will have a relieving effect on the urban housing markets.
"The federal government must act, otherwise society is threatened with disintegration, especially in the big cities," Rips warned.
