The corona pandemic once again shows what home means for many: it is a safe haven, a place of community and – now even more than usual – a place of work. However, the effects of the Corona crisis mean that many people now have to fear for their home – if they have one at all – because they cannot pay their rent. The consequences of the Corona crisis do not affect all people equally: the self-employed sometimes lose their income entirely, for employees with low incomes a reduction in the short-time allowance means that they can no longer meet their living costs, and for people without an apartment, it turns out not the question of rent payments, but instead of an increased risk of infection in accommodation and emergency overnight stays. Even traders cannot pay their running costs, such as rent payments in the event of loss of income.
With all these problems, the question arises: Who pays for their solution? The federal government has onelawthat precludes layoffs due to corona-related rental cancellations between April and June 2020. However, rent debts remain and are due to be paid by June 2022. Who should take them over? Residential and commercial tenants will certainly not have a higher income after the end of the pandemic, which would allow them to pay off the rental arrears that have accrued. Also thesuggestionSetting up a government aid fund to cover the rental debt falls short. Why should the general public pay tax payments for the costs? Rather, the real estate industry must also be directly involved and rent debts canceled. In addition, a hardship case regulation for landlords is to be introduced: If they become bankrupt due to a lack of rent payments or are demonstrably unable to service loans, they can defer the repayment of these loans. If you are unable to repay the defaulted loan installments in the future, you can file a hardship application with a relief fund to be set up. This means that landlords and the general public of taxpayers are equally involved in the costs of the crisis, while at the same time avoiding providers of affordable housing, such as cooperatives or municipal companies, being driven into insolvency because they have to calculate tightly .
As scientists from very different disciplines, we deal with questions of socially just housing provision. Our suggestions for dealing with the housing question in times of the Corona crisis – and beyond – are:
Prof. Dr. Timo Ackermann, Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin
Kirsten Angermann, Bauhaus University Weimar
Dr. Alejandro Armas-Díaz, Institute of Geography, University of Leipzig
Dr. Eveline Althaus, ETH Housing Forum, Zurich
Dr. Dr. Dario Azzellini, Cornell University
Robert Barbarino, Dortmund University of Technology
Dr. Raffael Beier, Ruhr University Bochum
Prof. Dr. Bernd Belina, Institute of Human Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Helena Bernhardt, Vienna University of Technology
PD Dr. habil. Matthias Bernt, Leibniz Institute for Spatial Social Research (IRS), Erkner
Johanna Betz, Institute for Political Science, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen
Dr. Torsten Bewernitz, HWG Ludwigshafen
Dr. Peter Birke, Institute for Sociology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Janine Birwer, TH Cologne
Norman Böttcher, University of Economics and Society, Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Prof. Dr. Ingrid Breckner, Urban and Regional Sociology, HafenCity University Hamburg
Anton Brokow-Loga, Bauhaus University Weimar
Jorin vom Bruch, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Jan Brunner, Free University Berlin.
Richard Bůžek, Institute of Geography, Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster
Dr. Laura Calbet i Elias, visiting professor for planning theory, BTU Cottbus
Dr. Antonio Carbone, German Historical Institute, Rome
Alev Coban, Institute of Human Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Apl. Prof. Dr. Alex Demirovic, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Manuel Dieterich, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Dr. Kristina Dietz, Free University Berlin
Sebastian Dirks, social scientist, Hamburg
Dr. Andrei Dörre, Free University Berlin
Jun.-Prof. Iris Dzudzek, Institute of Geography, University of Münster
Axel Elfert
Dipl.-Ing. Tashy Endres, University of the Arts Berlin
Prof. Dr. Bettina Engels, Free University Berlin
Linda Enghusen, Center for Metropolitan Studies, Technical University Berlin
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Emunds, Nell Breuning Institute at the Phil.-Theol. Sankt Georgen University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main
Nadine Feldhaus, University of Vechta
Dr. Henning Füller, Institute of Geography, Humboldt University Berlin
Mathis Fragemann, Faculty of Spatial Planning, Technical University Dortmund
Prof. Dr. Julia Franz, Alice Salomon University, Berlin
Adeline Frenzel, University of Augsburg
Jana Gebauer
Elisa Gerbsch, Institute of Geography, Technical University Dresden
Dr. Christoph Gille, Koblenz University of Applied Sciences
Dr. Isabel Glogar, Professorship for Urban Design, Technical University of Munich
Frauke Grenz, Gender Research Unit, European University Flensburg
Saskia Gränitz, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich
Katharina Grönen, Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne
Prof. Dr. Monika Grubbauer, History and Theory of the City, HafenCity University Hamburg
Dr. Annegret Haase, Helmholz Center for Environmental Research, Leipzig
Prof. Dr. Susanne Heeg, Institute of Human Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Prof. Dr. Hanna Hilbrandt, University of Zurich
Prof. Martin Hoelscher, Urban and Regional Development, Technical University Ostwestfalen-Lippe
Dennis Hof, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig
Dr. Ralf Hoffrogge, Ruhr University Bochum
Dr. Corinna Hölzl, Institute of Geography, Humboldt University Berlin
Ass. Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hürtgen, University of Salzburg
Karina Isernhinke, Hanover University of Applied Sciences
Dr. Justin Kadi, Vienna University of Technology
Prof. Dr. Annita Kalpaka, HAW Hamburg
Sonja Kanemaki, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Toni Karge, Institute for Urban and Regional Planning, Technical University Berlin
Sarah Karim, University of Cologne
Jana Kavermann, University of Wuppertal
Emily Kelling, Institute for Sociology, Technical University Berlin
Laura Kemmer, HafenCity University Hamburg
Maik Kiesler, Institute for Urban Development, University of Kassel
Markus Kip, Georg Simmel Center for Metropolitan Research, Humboldt University Berlin
Luise Klaus, Center for Drug Reserach, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Maike Klein, Alumna RWTH Aachen
Franziska Klemstein, Bauhaus University Weimar
Christian Kloss, Institute for Urban and Regional Planning, TU Berlin
Judith Knabe, Technical University of Cologne
Dr. Anne Kockelkorn, Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture, ETH Zurich
Nadja Körner, FernUniversität Hagen
Sophia Krist, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Felicitas Kübler, Technical University of Dresden
Sophie Kühnlenz, University of Cologne
Dasha Kuletskaya, Faculty of Architecture, RWTH Aachen
Dr. Jenny Künkel, CNRS, Bordeaux
Eva Kuschinski, HafenCity University Hamburg
Dr. Friederike Landau, Center for Metropolitan Studies, Technical University Berlin
Corinna Lange, University of Tübingen
Tabea Latocha, Bauhaus University Weimar
Dr. Mike Laufenberg, Institute of Sociology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Dr. Henrik Lebuhn, Institute for Social Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin
Prof. Dr. Stephan Lessenich, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich
Margarita Lindinger, Heidelberg University
Dr. Holger Lischke, Department of Planning and Construction Economics / Real Estate Management, Technical University Berlin
Prof. Dr. Daniel Loick, University of Amsterdam
Kassandra Löffler, Bauhaus University Weimar
Manuel Lutz, Urban Future Institute, Potsdam University of Applied Sciences
Prof. Dr. Tilman Lutz, Evangelische Hochschule, Hamburg
Prof. em. Dr. Ronald Lutz, University of Applied Sciences Erfurt
Prof. Dr. Michael May, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences
Prof. Dr. Margit Mayer, Center for Metropolitan Studies, Technical University Berlin
Srdjan Mandić, Bauhaus University Weimar
Dr. Philipp Metzger
Yuca Meubrink, HafenCity University Hamburg
Dr. Miriam Meuth, FHS St. Gallen, University of Applied Sciences
Tom Meyer, University of Bonn
Dr. Michael Mießner, Institute of Geography, Technical University Dresden
Dr. Gebhard Moritz
Dr. Daniel Mullis, HSFK Frankfurt am Main
Dr. Matthias Naumann, Technical University of Dresden
Marthe Nehl, Lund University
Prof. Dr. Martina Neuburger, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Luisa Nerlich, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Christoph K. Neumann, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich
Dr. Laura Nkula-Wenz, African Center for Cities, University of Cape Town
Max Ott, Technical University of Munich
Prof. Dr. Christof Parnreiter, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Dr. Helge Peters, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford
Kerstin Pluch, Vienna University of Technology
Carsten Praum, Bauhaus University Weimar.
Leon Rosa Reichle, Center for Urban Research on Austerity, De Montfort University
Prof.’in Dr. Nicole Rosenbauer, Evangelische Hochschule Dresden
Johanna Reckwertsh, Bauhaus University Weimar
Felix Remter, Technical University of Munich
Juliane Richter, Bauhaus University Weimar
Prof. Dr. Lisa Riedner, Catholic University of Eichstätt
Dr. Moritz Rinn, University of Duisburg-Essen
Prof. Dr. jur. Florian Rödl, Free University Berlin
Dr. David Scheller, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam
Dr. Christine Scherzinger, city geographer Berlin
Victoria Scheyer, Working Group for Peace and Conflict Research
Dr. Sebastian Schipper, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Mario Schenk, Free University Berlin
Matthias Schmelzer, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Dr. Katharina Schmidt, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Christian Smigiel, University of Salzburg
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Barbara Schönig, Bauhaus University Weimar
Prof. Dr. Kathrin Schrader, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Achim Schröer, Bauhaus University Weimar
Dr. Nina Schuster, Urban and Regional Sociology, Dortmund University of Technology
Dr. Anke Schwarz, Institute of Geography, TU Dresden
Katrin Singer, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Lea Spahn, Philipps University Marburg
Dr. Koen Smet
Prof. Dr. Annette Spellerberg, TU Kaiserslautern
Dr. Anna Steigemann, Institute for Architecture, Technical University Berlin
Prof. Dr. usually Lothar Stock, Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, Technology and Business
Prof. Dr. Anke Strüver, Institute for Geography and Spatial Research, Karl-Franzens-University Graz
Dr. Michael Tunç
Prof. Dr. Ursula Unterkofler, Catholic Foundation University of Munich
Dr.-des. Elodie Vittu, Bauhaus University Weimar
Alexander Vorbrugg, Institute of Geography, University of Bern
Dr. Anne Vogelpohl, HAW Hamburg
Dr. Lisa Vollmer, Bauhaus University Weimar
Dr. Anne Volkmann, Leibniz Institute for Spatial Social Research (IRS), Erkner
Louise Wagner, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Prof. Dr. Thomas Wagner, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences
Prof. Dr. Jan Wehrheim, University of Duisburg-Essen
Hendrik Weiner
Clemens Weise, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Lena Wegmann, Bauhaus University Weimar
Dr. Bernd Werse, Center for Drug Research, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Prof. Dr. Markus Wissen, Berlin School of Economics and Law
Tim Ziesmann, Technical University Dortmund
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