The number of apartments from which residents were forcibly evicted rose in Germany from 30,000 to 32,000 from 2023 to 2024, the German Ministry of Justice reported in response to a request from the Left Party.
"The rising cost of living is pushing more and more people into poverty," the authors state. According to statistics, the highest number of forced evictions in 2024 occurred in Germany's most populous federal state: North Rhine-Westphalia. A total of 10,118 apartments were vacated there. Bavaria ranks second with 2,979 apartments. Following are Lower Saxony (2,639 apartments) and Saxony (2,367). It is noted that the order of federal states in the statistics, compiled from the highest number of evictions to the lowest, has remained unchanged since 2023.
Only in the federal states of Brandenburg, Bremen, Hesse, and Thuringia did fewer forced evictions of apartment residents occur in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The Left Party Calls Increased Evictions a “Social Catastrophe”
The Left Party's expert on housing rental and apartment construction, Caren Lay, describes the current situation as a "social catastrophe." She calls for a ban on forced evictions if tenants face the prospect of becoming homeless. According to her assessment, Germany needs to increase the supply of affordable housing and improve tenant protection against lease termination. Regarding people aged 70 and older, she stated that a complete ban on eviction should be introduced.
According to dpa, the most common reason for eviction is rent arrears. Across Germany, over the past 10 years, the average rent has increased by 50%, according to the publication.
Leave a comment