• There is hardly any relief in sight on Aachen's housing market. Providing the people of Aachen with affordable housing remains a top priority for municipal action.
• The findings of the housing market report are suitable as a reliable basis for planning due to the broad database and serve the city as a basis for the development of integrated strategies and the targeted orientation of housing policy instruments.
• Needs-oriented housing development requires an examination of different target groups and needs on the housing market. In addition to students, the focus is primarily on families with children and older people.

At first glance, the past turbulent years and their negative effects on residential construction in Aachen seem to have been overcome. Residential construction, which almost came to a standstill last year due to the construction crisis, is stabilizing. Construction is underway again. However, as the current housing market report shows, the supply of social housing in particular will continue to face numerous challenges in the coming years. There is therefore hardly any relief in sight on Aachen's housing market. Providing Aachen residents with affordable housing remains a top priority for municipal action.

"The number of building permits has risen to a high level of 802 residential units in 2023. This means that affordable and publicly subsidized housing will be built in the long term," explained Thomas Hissel, Municipal Councillor for Housing, Social Affairs and Economy, at a press conference to present the new housing market report, which was presented hot off the press to the members of the Housing and Real Estate Committee later that day. "A total of 505 publicly subsidized housing units were approved for the city of Aachen last year, around 70 percent of all approved housing units. In addition, 68.7 million euros in subsidies flowed into Aachen, an unprecedented record result."

Planning basis for various housing market players

The Housing Market Report of the Department of Housing, Social Affairs and Integration of the City of Aachen regularly analyzes trends and long-term developments on the Aachen housing market on a broad data basis. Its findings are suitable as a reliable basis for planning and serve the city as a basis for the development of integrated strategies and the targeted orientation of housing policy instruments. The basis for this is the housing action plan, which is currently in the implementation phase.

The continuing shortage of land and the high cost of building and financing residential construction projects are putting pressure on investors, particularly in the privately financed residential real estate segment. However, they are offset by good subsidy conditions and are generating enormous demand in the subsidized housing segment, for example. Thomas Hissel: "Above all, the focus of developments must be on a good speed of construction realization so that the required living space is available at the right time. This is to be achieved, among other things, with a municipal housing association that is yet to be founded."

Social housing provision

Despite all the measures taken, social housing provision remains a key challenge. In three years' time, over 3,000 rent agreements will expire and the apartments will return to the privately financed housing market. "We must therefore consistently create new, publicly subsidized housing," demanded Mayor Norbert Plum, Chairman of the Housing and Property Committee, and emphasized that Aachen's quota resolution also makes an important contribution to the creation of affordable housing. "The quota resolution is a successful model. Despite the construction crisis, this instrument is being used consistently and is making an important contribution to the creation of affordable housing."

Needs-oriented housing development requires dealing with different target groups and needs on the housing market. In addition to students, the focus is primarily on families with children and older people. Rolf Frankenberger, head of the city's Housing, Social Affairs and Integration department: "One approach to solving this problem is to set up new cooperative housing projects. They create affordable, high-quality living space in the long term. We want to strategically expand this new pillar of a housing market oriented towards the common good in the future. We have already discussed this topic intensively with the administration and politicians in a series of workshops and developed various approaches that we will now put into practice."

New construction project on the Burtscheider Bridge

The press conference on the new housing market report took place in a new construction project by Gewoge AG on Burtscheider Brücke. The housing company will complete 197 apartments and residential units there by spring 2026 with an investment volume of around 40 million euros, most of which will be publicly subsidized.

Housing market report 2024

A printed copy of the Housing Market Report 2024 can be requested from the Housing, Social Affairs and Integration Department of the City of Aachen by calling 0241/432-56306 or sending an e-mail to komwob@mail.aachen.de.

The housing market report can be found on the Internet at www.aachen.de/wohnungsmarktbericht.