Keine Profite mit der Miete

The study titled "Keine Profite mit der Miete" is published by the Rosa-Luxemburg Stiftung, a German political foundation associated with the leftist political party. This organization focuses on social justice, economic equality, and sustainable development. The authors of the study—Andrej Holm, Sebastian Gerhardt, David Scheller, and Itziar Gastaminza Vacas—analyze the management of large public and cooperative housing stocks, emphasizing sustainable and socially-oriented approaches.

The research examines the organizational frameworks of various housing management entities, namely six state-owned housing companies (Landeseigene Wohnungsunternehmen, LWU) in Berlin, which together manage approximately 360,000 apartments. It also includes larger housing cooperatives in Berlin that manage about 30,000 apartments, along with Wiener Wohnen, the municipal housing company in Vienna, which oversees around 210,000 apartments.

The LWUs typically employ centralized decision-making and budgeting structures with specialized departments, while housing cooperatives favor in-house management to keep costs down. Wiener Wohnen relies on a centralized structure with two main subsidiaries dedicated to customer service and building maintenance, emphasizing on-site staffing.

In terms of maintenance and repair expenditures, the LWUs incurred an average cost of €1.62 per square meter (m²) per month from 2018 to 2022. In contrast, housing cooperatives spent more, averaging €2.43/m² per month, which reflects their commitment to maintaining high-quality living conditions for their members. Wiener Wohnen, on the other hand, reported lower costs at €1.27/m² per month, possibly due to its portfolio consisting of older, unrenovated buildings.

The administrative and personnel costs also varied among the entities: LWUs spent an average of €0.99/m² per month, while housing cooperatives spent €1.10/m², and Wiener Wohnen reported costs of €1.52/m². The latter's higher expenses can be attributed to its greater reliance on in-house personnel for maintenance and repairs.

When considering total operating costs, the LWUs had the highest figures at €9.11/m² per month, which includes €3.20/m² in utility costs. Housing cooperatives had total costs of €7.82/m² (including €2.02/m² in utilities), while Wiener Wohnen had the lowest total operating costs at €7.02/m² (including €1.94/m² in utilities).

Regarding average rents, LWUs charged €6.40/m² per month in net cold rent, cooperatives charged €5.81/m², and Wiener Wohnen's rent was €4.89/m². The study concludes that socially-oriented housing management could achieve affordable rents around €5.50/m² per month, although this poses challenges for financing new construction and significant energy retrofits without additional public support.

Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the organizational approaches and cost structures of managing public and cooperative housing stocks in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. It highlights different priorities among the entities: LWUs focus on expanding their housing stock, cooperatives prioritize quality maintenance, and Wiener Wohnen emphasizes its social housing mission. The findings underscore the possibility of affordable rents within this framework while identifying the challenges of financing new developments and energy-efficient upgrades.