Hardy living conditions in Leipzig: outrage over shared apartments!

Hardy living conditions in Leipzig: outrage over shared apartments!

Demmeringstraße, 04157 Leipzig, Deutschland - In Leipzig, a residential complex on the railway tracks causes horror. The object, which is advertised as a "cool house full of young people", raises questions about the quality of living and rental prices. According to reports, the rooms are tiny, overpriced accommodations, some of which even have no windows. The jointly used area consisting of the kitchen, shower and toilet is housed in a single room. These conditions have been criticized as "inhumane" on social media, which was reflected in a wave of outrage on platforms such as Reddit. So the Saxon have not yet been officially verified. The oppressive image of reality was shown at a local appointment in Demmeringstrasse: rent of up to 37 euros per square meter is not uncommon here.

In recent years, rental prices in Leipzig have risen sharply, which not only favors creative forms of living, but also puts pressure on the city administration. The Leipziger Internet Zeitung Rental usury submitted. Around 8,500 citizens then used the Left Party's rental usury app to have their leases checked. Over 536 suspected cases were reported to the social welfare office. In these cases, prices were around 50 percent above the local rent index, which is legally inadmissible.

the political reactions

dr. Elisa Gerbsch, spokeswoman for the left faction, was critical of the existing hurdles for tenants who would like to take legal action. Your proposal to strengthen the social welfare office aims to speed up the processing of these cases. Personnel increase could help process the inquiries more quickly; In Frankfurt am Main, for example, 1,400 procedures against rental usury came about after the creation of 22 additional jobs. The left faction also calls for an exchange with Frankfurt/Main. The decision would enable the city to benefit from the experiences there and to take suitable measures.

These developments are part of a larger image of the German rental market, which is characterized by rising rents, especially in metropolitan areas. According to the Wirtschaftsdienst , the central cause of the price range is a slightly elastic market offer with increasing demand at the same time. The offer cannot be quickly adapted to demand due to scarce building land, long approval processes and strict building permits. Demographic changes, such as urbanization and the increase in individual households, also tighten the situation.

outlook for the future

Demand exceeds the supply, which leads to an imbalance in many German cities. At the moment, over 1 million apartments in the German inventory have been wrong, despite an increase in housing investments since 2015. This situation not only contributes to financial burden for many households, but also makes access to adequate living space, especially for low earners, who have to spend up to 33 percent of their household income for rents. In order to react to these full-bodied challenges, effective measures in housing policy are necessary, which address both offer and allocation problems.

Leipzig is at a critical point where both the municipal authorities and civil society are required to fight for fair living conditions and to draw attention to the continuing defects in the housing sector. The coming months should be crucial to tackle the problems mentioned and to improve the quality of life for all Leipziger.