Gießen is fighting against vacant living space: Minister brings new hope!

Gießen is fighting against vacant living space: Minister brings new hope!

There is more than one reason for concern when it comes to the housing market in Giessen. Numerous properties are empty, while at the same time the need for affordable housing is constantly growing. In particular, the buildings on Allendorfer Untergasse, house numbers 4 to 6, have been unused for years. The local advisory board has therefore urged the ownership company from the Rhine-Main area to finally take action. Minister Kaweh Mansoori even personally visited this vacant building and denounced the situation on site.

A look at the situation shows that it is currently not legally prohibited to simply leave vacant properties unused as long as there is no acute threat to public safety or order. “That has to change,” says Mansoori. A new vacancy law is currently being discussed, which is intended to give municipalities more opportunities to take action against such grievances. According to the Hesse state government, over 122,000 apartments are empty in Hesse, while almost two million properties are lying idle across Germany.

The situation on site

The company Westend Project and Control Management (WPS) GmbH took over the apartments in Allendorfer Untergasse in 2021, terminated all existing rental agreements and announced numerous plans. But unfortunately none of this was implemented. The situation remains unchanged and the local advisory board has been calling for urgent measures to remedy the situation since November 2022. A round table was convened last year to discuss the slow progress of construction work, but as of October 31, 2023, things have remained quiet and no concrete steps are in sight.

The city has repeatedly contacted the owner company, but without any response. “There’s just nothing happening,” says a concerned representative of the local council. Although the planned vacancy law stipulates that cities with a tight housing market can issue vacancy regulations, Giessen is not currently one of them. The minister announced that he would commission a report to determine tight residential markets in Hesse in order to possibly revise this assessment.

A look at the future

A possible solution could be for the municipal housing association to contact the owner company in order to acquire the building ensemble. The minister visited Giessen with the intention of bringing a breath of fresh air into the matter; Although there was no breakthrough, a perspective for the future was suggested. The [Report from Gießener Allgemeine](https://www.giessener- Allgemeine.de/giessen/bald-ein-ende-hat-leerstand-94002575.html) makes it clear that everyone involved must stick with the issue in order to get the housing shortage under control and to create more affordable housing for the people in Gießen.

The pressure on the housing market is noticeable, especially in large cities like Frankfurt, where almost 13,000 apartments are vacant. The upcoming new regulation should therefore not only reduce the pressure, but also create living space for those in need. “We definitely need to work on this,” emphasizes Mansoori, while referring to the legislative measures aimed at combating the unfounded vacancy of apartments.