Housing market - Renter Association: Conversion of rental apartments slows down
In the face of the strained housing market, the Renters' Association is demanding from the Baden-Württemberg state government to make the conversion of rental to ownership apartments more difficult. State leader Rolf Gaßmann said at an event of the association in Rust: "Our state government has ignored the displacement of renters for almost four years."
Since early 2021, the conversion of apartments can be placed under a municipal permit and thus restricted, if a state government issues the necessary legal regulation.
Ministry of Building: Costs for municipalities too high
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Building in Stuttgart confirmed the rejection of such a regulation. It would be an unnecessary bureaucratic burden for the municipalities. At the same time, the spokesperson referred to the fact that cities can make the conversion of rental to ownership apartments in certain areas dependent on a permit until 2028.
The Building Code allows the states to determine for plots in areas of a so-called environmental protection zone that the granting of ownership or co-ownership requires a permit. The municipalities determine themselves on site whether they use the instrument of the conversion permit. A special protection need could be triggered, for example, by the sale of housing stocks to large investors.
- Despite the Renters' Association's call for making the conversion of rental to ownership apartments more challenging, the Baden-Württemberg state government has yet to issue the necessary legal regulation due to concerns about high costs for municipalities.
- The housing policy debate in Baden-Württemberg has focused on the conversion of apartments, with the Renters' Association advocating for stricter regulations and the Ministry of Building opposing such measures due to potential bureaucratic burden for municipalities.
- In the face of the strained housing market and concerns about renter displacement, some municipalities in Baden-Württemberg have opted to require a permit for the conversion of rental to ownership apartments in certain areas, following the guidelines of the Building Code.
- The ongoing debate over the housing market in Baden-Württemberg has led to a heightened interest in the role of the Renters' Association, the regional government, and the Housing Market, with the Ruster renter association being particularly vocal in their calls for change.
