Number of tenants at risk of poverty is rising/ Rate last year at 22.4 percent - BSW head Wagenknecht: "The federal government is doing far too little to combat rent as a risk of poverty"

Osnabrück (ots) - The number of tenants at risk of poverty is rising. This is reported by the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ), citing figures obtained from the Federal Statistical Office by the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). According to the figures, 22.4 percent of tenants were at risk of poverty last year. This represents an increase of two percentage points compared to 2023. This means that tenants are disproportionately affected by the risk of poverty compared to the general population. Although the at-risk-of-poverty rate in the general population has declined slightly compared to 2021, poverty among tenants is increasing. Among homeowners, the risk of falling into poverty has decreased in recent years. In 2024, the share was 8.3 percent, compared to 10.9 percent three years earlier. "If almost one in four tenants is now at risk of poverty, then that is a shameful indictment of the housing policy of recent years. The new federal government is also doing far too little," BSW chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht commented on the figures to the "NOZ" newspaper. The rent control is having almost no effect. "Rent is increasingly becoming a risk of poverty," the BSW head warned. Wagenknecht emphasized: "In all regions where it is no longer possible to afford adequate housing on a normal income, rents should be frozen at least until 2030." Larger parts of the housing market must be subjected again to the rules of non-profit status. In addition, politicians must stimulate housing construction "through public and non-profit housing companies and promote it through low-interest loans." Press contact: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung Editorial Office Telephone: +49(0)541/310 207 Original content from: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, transmitted by news aktuell Original report: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/58964/6102725