Police comb through occupied house: focus on health risks!

Police comb through occupied house: focus on health risks!

On Tuesday morning, November 4th, 2025, the police searched an occupied house in Bremer Neustadt. The action began around 6 a.m., but there were no people in the building at the time. The occupying activists from the group “Shaping Vacancies” previously expressed grave concerns about the neglected condition of the house, particularly about mold, which poses health risks. For safety reasons, electricity and gas were turned off because a defective gas pipe was suspected.

The activists occupied the house on Kornstrasse on October 18, 2025 and then decided to only stay in the building during the day from last Sunday evening in order to avoid overnight stays. Despite repeated requests from the police to vacate the house, the activists did not comply, which ultimately led to a search. The 87-year-old owner of the house, who filed a complaint for trespassing and exhausted his legal options, had already contacted the police in advance to take action against the occupation.

Supporters and conflicts

Some supporters of the squatter gathered outside the building while police took control of the situation. Officials closed the building through a contractor after working with activists to try to find a solution. The conflict over the house in Bremer Neustadt and similar occupations in Bremen has been going on for years and is shining a spotlight on the increasing housing problems in Germany.

Current studies show that there is currently a shortage of more than 550,000 apartments in Germany and that rents in large cities are rising rapidly. The average net rent in Cologne in 2023 was 13.44 euros. But while tenants' needs are not keeping up with rising incomes, many apartments in rural areas are lying vacant. It is a mix of unbalanced demand and a stagnating supply of new buildings that is forcing many people into rented apartments. Around 52% of German citizens lived in rents last year - a trend that primarily affects large cities.

Housing benefit and social challenges

The federal government originally aimed to complete 400,000 new apartments annually, but this target has not been achieved in recent years. In 2023, only 294,400 new living spaces were approved. A worrying trend that led to the number of people receiving housing benefit increasing to around 1.2 million people. These developments demonstrate the need for urgent action in social housing to meet the needs of the population.

It remains to be seen what further steps those responsible will take to address the housing problem. Social enterprises are to be supported in the future through a new housing non-profit organization, but whether this will be enough to alleviate the existing housing shortage remains questionable. The conflict in Bremen highlights only part of a comprehensive problem that affects the entire Federal Republic.

For more information on this topic, see reporting by NDR and the comprehensive background analyzes of BPB about the housing shortage in Germany.