PCPWhat the latest overview measures
The Federal Office for Housing’s housing market overview III/2026, published on 25 August, distinguishes rents observed in the existing stock from prices advertised on the market. Combining these series would obscure an essential difficulty: moderate movement in average rents does not guarantee that an available dwelling is affordable on a new applicant’s income.
For the PCP, monitoring must begin with that distinction. Separation, the birth of a child, education or a change of job can make moving necessary. A household then cannot choose between its old rent and a theoretical price. It needs an offer that actually exists and suits its size and daily journeys.
Lower costs must reach residents
The Party calls on public authorities to examine how changes in financing reach rents, alongside other cost factors. An aggregate indicator does not establish that every tenant receives a reduction or faces the same increase. Public information must make calculation bases and available procedures understandable, without presenting a statistical average as an individual decision.
This also concerns access to public services. A person working shifts, unfamiliar with administrative language or short of time must be able to understand their position. The PCP advocates clear information and advice services with lasting public support.
Rent alone does not capture the cost of a home
Additional charges, energy and transport complete the bill. A cheaper flat can require longer journeys. Renovation can reduce consumption while increasing the rent. The Party therefore calls for monitoring of total occupancy costs, broken down by income and household categories where suitable data permit.
The purpose is to identify situations in which unavoidable expenditure absorbs wage increases. This approach connects housing policy with the remuneration of work and the provision of public services. It avoids expecting households alone to compensate for an inadequate supply of affordable homes by travelling further.
Turning evidence into public choices
The PCP supports an expansion of non-profit housing, the use of public land and lasting affordability conditions for supported projects. The responsible authorities must cost these measures, including construction, maintenance and finance. Support for household demand must be considered alongside available supply, so assistance does not merely absorb ever higher rents.
The next assessment must examine concrete results: dwellings actually delivered, complete housing costs, residents’ ability to remain and proximity to services. Statistical series provide the starting point. Political responsibility means acting on the mechanisms that make a home affordable or place it beyond people’s means.
Documents and sources
The cited documents provide the facts and provisions examined. Political judgments and proposals expressed in this article are those of the PCP.