Rent | Living or living?

Photo: Ever higher rents are eating up more and more of the majority of people's money. A new survey commissioned by the Social Association of Germany (SoVD) shows the extent of the rent misery. As part of the survey, around 2,500 tenants were asked about rent and finances. It is a survey that causes consternation and anger.

The housing madness is completely out of control. Photo: dpa/Oliver Berg 53 percent of tenants stated that they were severely restricting themselves financially given their living situation. Of these, 18 percent were “very strong”. For decades, the neoliberal madness of austerity, rising costs and tax giveaways to the bigwigs has been going downhill for working people. Nowhere is the situation as close to exploding as when it comes to rent.

While the owning class fills its coffers based on people's own need for a home, the tenants struggle more and more just to avoid being pushed further and further away from the city center, pushed into increasingly dilapidated apartments or ultimately even thrown onto the street.

So it's time to pull yourself together. To tighten your belt and give everything just to at least be able to maintain the status quo. Almost half of those surveyed also stated that they had already changed or given up specific life plans because of high housing costs. Ten percent have changed their family planning because of the rent. “Are you still living or are you already alive?” – said the well-known Ikea advertisement from the 2000s. A more appropriate question today would be: "Are you still alive or do you already live?" It's a tragedy that will only get worse in view of the coming cuts in housing benefit. Instead of tenants giving up their life plans because rents are too high, bigwigs should be made to give up their rental apartments - see socialization.

There is also a catastrophic trend. The younger the tenants, the worse the rental situation. Among 30 to 39 year olds, 60 percent said they had to limit themselves financially because of rent, instead of the general 53 percent. For 18 to 29 year olds it is even a good two thirds. Anyone who is still wondering about Gen Z protests has lost touch with reality in this country. One should ask oneself why there are so few protests.

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