Housing in Erfurt: Airbnb urges residents from the old town!

Housing in Erfurt: Airbnb urges residents from the old town!

Erfurt, Deutschland - in Erfurt, the situation on the housing market is heading. More and more apartments in the old town are being rented out to tourists, and this lets the prices for permanent people go through the ceiling. In a charming ambience around the Krämerbrücke and the cathedral, over 500 holiday accommodations on platforms such as Airbnb are listed, where the nights cost between 80 and 150 euros. According to thueringen24.de there is a lack of affordable living space for the Erfurt population, while the city has to struggle with a huge lack of housing at the same time. In the next 15 years, Erfurt would be an estimated between 3,800 and 6,900 new apartments to cover the increasing demand.

"There is something!", says Lars Bredemeier, deputy for urban development, and highlights the need for more permanent living space. The city has already considered measures to counteract this development. The focus is particularly on checking illegal holiday apartments, which have recently become increasingly in focus. Around 60 procedures are currently underway against around 200 apartments that are offered as holiday accommodations without approved use. Since the occupancy rate in Erfurt is over 99 percent, it is crucial for a functioning housing market that there is normally a vacancy of around four percent to relax the situation, also reports mdr.de.

measures of the city

The city administration has already cited its own research on unauthorized holiday apartments and hopes for increased controls that this unauthorized use will be contained in the future. Christian Fothe, Managing Director of Erfurt Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, expressly supports the measures and emphasizes how important a balanced mix of residents and tourists is for the quality of life of the old town. "Our old town must not become a tourist setting without residents," warns Fothe.

But the problem is not only to be seen locally. Other cities such as Hanover and Leipzig have already taken similar steps to control the vacancy of rental apartments. The city of Erfurt has long been calling for a nationwide regulation to put an end to the misuse of living space. At the moment, those responsible in Erfurt act on their own initiative, since there is still a corresponding legal basis at the state level, as can be found on Erfurt.de.

an outlook in the future

The local administration intends to control the use of living space more strictly in order to ensure the quality of life for the local population. Providers of approved apartments are not suspected and are not affected by the measures. Landlords without permission have the option of hearing, and depending on the result, subsequent approval can be granted to clarify the situation.

The city is aware of the challenges and will do everything possible to improve the living conditions in Erfurt. This is of great importance for the residents of this historical city, because only with a sustainable approach can it prevent Erfurt from losing his soul to tourism.