Having previously published its plans on key election issues such as purchasing power, work and education as well as family matters, the DP on Monday sought to outline its positions on housing.
“Just as there is no one simple solution, there is also no one guilty party”, said DP general secretary Carole Hartmann. Party president Lex Delles said that a range of different measures need to be implemented that would complement one another.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel proposed to reform all of the competent authorities into one place in order to simplify housing procedures. Currently the Ministry of Housing is responsible for construction, but many procedures need to go through either the Ministries of Home Affairs or the Ministry of the Environment. In the future either the Ministry of Housing would be responsible for all of these procedures or the party would want to create an overarching new ministry.
Another proposition is to create a citizens’ fund, where the state would be the financial guarantor. Therefore the state’s budget for housing could be increased.
Furthermore, the DP wants to introduce a tax for apartments and houses that are being left empty, and for land that is not being built on. This may seem unusual for a liberal political party, but the Prime Minister highlighted that the country faces an exceptional situation. Land that parents are keeping for their children or houses and apartments that are being left empty for a short time would however not be taxed. The aim is to prevent speculation on housing.
Delles also pointed out that many of the empty terrains are owned by that state, and that private companies will be needed to construct more housing. The party also wants to increase the amount of publicly-owned apartments that are being rented out. If certain housing procedures are not moving forward a kind of tacit agreement should be implemented, in case someone does not receive a response within a certain deadline.
The DP also wants to help recent graduates without significant capital to be able to rent a place to live. A one time dispensation of registration fees could also be implemented, which would lower the total buying price by 7%.
Hartmann underlined that housing benefits should be increased to reflect the real cost of housing.
