7 euros / m2

Greens want to curb rents by law

Housing spokesperson for the Greens: Nina Tomaselli.(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

On Thursday, Nina Tomaselli presented the Green Party's ideas for making housing affordable again. To this end, she wants to introduce a basic rent. 

The parties have long recognized that housing is an excellent topic for scoring points in election campaigns. On Thursday, Nina Tomaselli presented the Green Party's ideas on how people in Austria could access more affordable housing. They combine two ideas: On the one hand, housing should become more affordable, but at the same time more sustainable.

The best rent brake is non-profit housing. Subsidies should be used primarily for this purpose.

Nina Tomaselli

To achieve this, a basic rent should be introduced. According to Tomaselli, this could be seven euros per square meter. If the apartment is in good thermal condition or has special features, the basic rent could be increased by up to 25 percent. However, this model is mitigated by two restrictions: Firstly, the basic rent for new buildings should only come into force after a period of 25 years - until then, the Greens want to allow free pricing. In addition, the basic rent is to be adapted to the respective federal state.

Ten instead of seven euros
For Vorarlberg, Tomaselli can imagine a rent rate of ten instead of seven euros, as she explained. The Greens also want to use another lever to make housing more affordable: If a plot of land is converted into building land, 50 percent of the apartments built there should be non-profit. The fifty-fifty rule should even apply in the event of a possible increase in the number of buildings.

The importance that the issue of affordable housing now has for the Greens is also shown by the demand for a separate housing ministry.