Police union Condemns Millions Spent on Security for Largely Unused Scholz Apartment
Hamburg, Germany – October 23, 2025, 1:42 p.m. - The German Police Union is voicing strong criticism over the ongoing cost of providing 24/7 security for former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Hamburg apartment, a residence reportedly largely unused sence his relocation to Potsdam years ago. Security measures for the property are costing the city of Hamburg up to two million euros annually,sparking debate over the proportionality of public spending.
Since Scholz moved to Potsdam in 2018, the cumulative cost of guarding the Hamburg apartment could reach as high as 15 million euros. While the federal government ceased contributing to the security costs in 2022, the financial burden now falls solely on Hamburg. The police spent 28,256 hours guarding the apartment in 2024, slightly down from 29,064 hours the previous year, with another 14,008 hours logged in the first half of 2025 alone.
“Such a high level of effort for a mostly empty apartment is unacceptable,” stated Thomas Jungfer, state chairman of the German Police Union in hamburg. ”The costs of monitoring must be billed to the federal government.”
The criticism extends beyond law enforcement. Sascha Mummenhoff of the Hamburg Taxpayers’ Association echoed the concerns, stating, “While many Hamburg residents search for an affordable apartment for months, a rarely used apartment in Altona is guarded around the clock by the police. Olaf Scholz’s second home in Hamburg is emblematic of a larger problem: a lack of transparency and a lack of proportionality in the use of public money.”
Scholz’s office maintains the apartment is used regularly, but has declined to comment on whether the former Chancellor intends to relinquish the property.
