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RTL documentary “Apartment desperately wanted!”

dpa | 05/16/2022, 3:47 p.m

“Looking for an apartment” is written on the note on a lantern.

Paul Zinken/dpa

Pretty much every big city dweller has someone in their circle of acquaintances who is looking for an apartment. The situation has seldom been so precarious. Behind every quest is a destiny. Material for a new television show – with an old acquaintance in a new role.

The problem is huge and it’s only getting bigger: there is a lack of living space in Germany’s cities. The reasons are clear: too little is being built and there is too much speculation.

More and more people don’t know where to stay. They live in cramped or precarious conditions, and some have lost their homes altogether. Working people from the middle of society such as police officers, teachers or craftsmen can no longer afford rented apartments in cities such as Munich, Hamburg or Düsseldorf. They are pushed out into the countryside. People without a job and savings are even worse off. Profits are often skimmed off by anonymous real estate companies. It’s actually strange that after so many years of this fatal development, a major broadcaster is only now making a documentary series with fates out of it: “Housing desperately wanted!” starts on Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. on RTL.

Tenancy law expert Jan Kralitschka supports homeless families looking for a new place to live. The principle is: help for self-help. “The number of homeless people in Germany has risen by 150 percent to around 1.2 million since 2014,” the private broadcaster calculates. “Almost a quarter of them are families with children. 1.9 million affordable apartments are missing in Germany – and applicants are also queuing up for expensive apartments.”

Kralitschka changes sides for the new format – because once he was the one who was looking for something on RTL: not an apartment, but the woman for life. In 2013 he was “The Bachelor” in the third season of the dating show of the same name. He was unlucky with his choice at the time – like most of his predecessors and successors.

In the new TV documentary, the protagonists should have better luck. RTL accompanies two families who got into their situation through no fault of their own. Lawyer Kralitschka then first takes stock: How high are the incomes and expenses? How much money is left for the rent? Where does the family want or need to find an apartment, how big does the apartment have to be?

The tenancy lawyer then draws up a tailor-made plan on how he can help the families to find an apartment independently and with his support: What have you done wrong when looking for an apartment? What are the biggest obstacles? Are there ways to get more money to have greater opportunities? The lawyer takes care of discussions with banks, job centers, employers, friends and relatives. The goal: a home of their own.

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