Housing shortage: Federal Council waits
The Federal Council is observing the situation on the housing market with concern, but does not want to take any action for the time being. It is prepared, if necessary, to evaluate further measures if Parliament so wishes. This is the Federal Council's response to various requests on the current housing shortage. For Wohnbaugenossenschaften Schweiz, this is too little: the association calls on the Federal Council to take immediate action.
For Wohnbaugenossenschaften Schweiz, it is incomprehensible that the Federal Council simply wants to wait and see in the face of the housing shortage. In an interpellation, Manuela Weichelt, National Councillor (Greens) and member of the board of Wohnbaugenossenschaften Schweiz, wanted to know what the Federal Council intends to do about the housing shortage. The Federal Council replied that it was aware that an insufficient supply of housing could hamper economic development and lead to socio-political tensions. However, it sees the responsibility for housing supply primarily with the real estate industry. Although non-profit housing construction plays an important role in the provision of affordable housing, it is already being promoted with the Fonds de Roulement and guarantees. If necessary, the Federal Council is prepared to evaluate further measures, as called for in a postulate by Damian Müller (FDP), member of the Council of States.
Immediate measures are needed
The housing shortage is driving rents ever higher. “The shortage of affordable housing is acute and measures need to be taken quickly,” stresses Manuela Weichelt. “We call on the Federal Council to act now. Recipes against the housing shortage are well known: More non-profit and affordable housing is needed.” The current situation shows that the real estate industry is not ensuring a sufficient supply of affordable housing. “The Federal Council recognises that the non-profit housing developers make an important contribution here. It is therefore all the more incomprehensible that it does not want to promote them more strongly. The current housing subsidies are not sufficient to rapidly increase the share of non-profit housing,” explains Eva Herzog, Member of the Council of States for Basel-Stadt (SP) and President of Wohnbaugenossenschaften Schweiz. In order to be able to build more, non-profit housing developers are particularly dependent on suitable building land. This requires active control, for example with defined shares or zones for non-profit housing. The federal government would have the power to secure land for non-profit building projects: For example, by making land that is no longer needed by the federal government and businesses close to the federal government available for this purpose. Or by giving municipalities the possibility to buy land for non-profit housing with a right of first refusal. The federal government could also support municipalities in the purchase of land, for example with a land acquisition fund.