Inflated rents, high interest rates and lack of supply create European housing crisis

alphacyberranger@lemmy.world to World News@lemmy.world – 72 points –
france24.com
8

The only young people I know that live in their own house were either helped by their parents partially or totally. Several people from older generations were money-wise and did not spend everything for themselves but also built a house for their offspring or saved enough money to buy it when it was still affordable (even with 2-3 children). As for the rest of us... well... I hope my company will offer me the possibility to sleep in the office 🀣

Same here. And their mortgage is lower than my rent.

Can't complain too much though cause at least I can afford rent. Many other young people are still living with their parents, need housemates (who aren't their significant other), or live in squalor.

Still, our generation has been fucked over in terms of housing. Home owners get so many benefits (loads of tax breaks, ability to install solar panels, etc) while renters are stuck. I don't see it getting better anytime soon either.

Some excerpts from the article:

β€œIn many countries, housing has been considered as an asset and it's very often being used for speculation or for investment.

According to figures from FEANTSA, the number of homeless people in the EU has risen by 30% since 2019.

In the decade up to 2022, average rents increased by 19% in the EU and house prices by 47%, according to Housing Europe, an umbrella organisation that works with groups providing public, cooperative and social housing in EU countries.

Damn, if only there were hundreds of thousands of AirBnB units we could tax the shit out of to return them to the market.

Housing as a speculative investment is a plague on society. I hope countries place regulations and heavy taxes against properties you own but do not live in or utilize personally.