For students

Vienna Greens want to make housing more affordable

According to an IFES study, Austrian students have to spend 43 percent of their monthly income on housing. The costs are only higher in Innsbruck than in Vienna, the Vienna Greens sounded the alarm on Monday. Among other things, they are calling for housing assistance for students.

The costs have risen by 26 percent in recent years. According to the Greens, students have to pay an average of 555 euros in housing costs per month. The sum is particularly high for those living in student residences. They have to spend 54 percent of their income on accommodation. This is mainly due to the fact that students who rent a room there usually only have a low income.

In addition, most students are excluded from housing and rent assistance, for example because they are not available on the job market or live in a shared flat with people who work full-time and earn more than they do.

Set up a fund for deposits
"We want all students in Vienna to be able to study without worries," said Vienna Green Party leader Judith Pühringer. She called for a housing deposit fund, as already exists in Graz and Salzburg. It should make it possible to raise a deposit when signing a tenancy agreement.

In addition, access to council housing should be made easier and housing benefit should also be paid for students. Shared flats, for example, are to be better taken into account in the subsidy.