The opposition clearly recognizes the brisk building activity of the Bavarian state government. However, this is not about apartments. “Markus Söder is one of the best castle builders in the world, but unfortunately nobody can live in a castle in the air,” said Green MP Jürgen Mistol in the state parliament these days. A debate was scheduled there, mainly because of Bayernheim – the state housing company that Söder founded in 2018. And their goals are expected to be colossally missed. In autumn there will be elections in Bavaria, polls show a clear majority for the CSU and its coalition partner Freie Wahler. And yet the housing policy is a construction site that could become uncomfortable for the CSU in the election campaign. Because it is directly connected to the person Markus Söder, Tenor: Announcement Prime Minister.
Bayernheim is to build 10,000 new affordable apartments by 2025 in cities and metropolitan areas, Söder said five years ago. So far, however, not a single key of a self-built booth has been handed over to tenants. The company has a little more than 200 apartments in its portfolio, all of which were bought into the portfolio; In addition, a good 800 are currently under construction and around 3,500 more are being planned or developed, according to the government’s balance sheet. A total of 4,500 apartments are now “on the way”. The Bayerischer Rundfunk recently calculated how many apartments could actually be built in 2025 – only seven percent of Söder’s mark. 93 percent failure rate.
It’s clear that the Greens, SPD, AfD and FDP are constantly pouring this balance into new terms: “disaster”, “pipe burst”, “real satire”, “bluff”. Often accompanied by a historical reference: As Finance Minister, Söder was once responsible for the sale of tens of thousands of Landesbank apartments to private investors; rent increases, some of them drastic, followed. The government called the sale without alternative because of EU regulations. “Silverware sold off,” is the verdict of the opposition to this day.
The truth also includes: 4,500 apartments that are on the way are not nothing
But the truth at Bayernheim also includes: 4500 apartments are not nothing. At the start of the society and in the pandemic, little progressed. But if the current pace were to continue, the mark should be reached sometime in the 1920s. Things are coming together, contracts are signed in Nuremberg and Munich, for example, construction sites were recently secured in Regensburg, 120 apartments by the end of 2026. Söder’s problem: if he hadn’t been so cocky in 2018, Bayernheim wouldn’t have a bad image today.
“New impetus”, quote Söder, also brings a change in the Ministry of Construction last year. Incidentally, Christian Bernreiter (CSU) is the fourth head of department since 2018. He “can’t do magic,” he says. But Bayernheim is “massively picking up speed” while the private construction industry is canceling projects because of the crisis. A Bavarian “housing booster” is now also intended to help builders and municipalities. All of that is impressive, says Bernreiter, especially compared to traffic lights. Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) just failed “across the board”.