Housing crisis in Bremen: 40,000 students are desperately looking for places!

Housing crisis in Bremen: 40,000 students are desperately looking for places!

In Bremen, there are signs of a tense living situation for students and trainees. Around 40,000 students and around 13,000 trainees currently live in the Hanseatic city, where affordable housing is increasingly becoming a scarce commodity. Six weeks before the start of the semester, looking for accommodation is anything but a walk in the park. Shared apartment tours are particularly popular, although there are usually no long queues. Meanwhile, rental prices are constantly rising - a development that is being reinforced by the war in Ukraine and the already increased energy prices. According to butenunbinnen.de, the average rent for student union accommodation is 327 euros per month. If you are looking for a room in a shared apartment, you usually have to expect to pay between 450 and 650 euros, while a small apartment can easily cost 900 to 1,200 euros.

Things are particularly tight for BAföG recipients, as they only have to get by on 380 euros in rent. More and more landlords are offering students looking for accommodation furnished rooms in shared apartments, but the tradition of larger apartments, which were previously often occupied by several students, is coming to an end. The Studierendenwerk Bremen currently has around 2,250 places available in Bremen and Bremerhaven, some of which can still be occupied. In addition, a new residential building is being built in Horn to meet the growing demand for living space. For an apartment after applying, you have to plan on waiting around a year.

The challenges for trainees

The situation for apprenticeships is similarly tense. The first trainee dormitory will open in Bremen on October 1st with 66 places and a rent of 350 euros. Despite this innovation, waiting lists already exist. The need for such dormitories is primarily due to the fact that many training occupations also attract international applicants. The allocation is based on socio-economic aspects, and there are four waiting lists. This pilot project is supervised by a non-profit GmbH and managed by Azubiwerk Bremen.

The general living situation is further complicated by the fact that many students and trainees would like to live with older people in return for help with household chores, but in practice they rarely do so. The most important thing here is to overcome the informality of sharing the bathroom or kitchen with someone who is initially a stranger.

An overview of the housing options

There is a wide range of living spaces on offer, but paying for them becomes a challenge for many. A total of 2,139 places are available in 11 residential complexes in Bremen and 106 places in Bremerhaven. Places in dormitories are state-funded and therefore represent the cheapest form of housing. Private dormitories, on the other hand, cost up to 700 euros per month and are often only suitable as temporary solutions.

Although there are helpful reports on current rental price developments, it remains undisputed that rooms that are not advertised on residential portals are often among the cheaper offers. The Social Survey of the German Student Union provided interesting insights, with rental costs recorded in 68 cities in 2021 and are expected to rise by 18% by the end of 2025. In cities like Munich, a rent of 720 euros for shared rooms is already realistic, which illustrates the problem more clearly than ever.

In summary, for students in Bremen, the housing situation is challenging, but there are options and contact points to ultimately find the right place to stay. The Student Union's open consultation hours will help clarify questions about looking for accommodation - every Monday and Thursday from September 4th.