Hamburg students face housing crisis amid soaring rents

Hamburg's housing crisis leaves students homeless and desperate for solutions

Eleven young people sit in Café Knallo at the University of Hamburg, perched on creaking wooden chairs. Posters line the walls, and the coffee table is plastered with stickers. It's their first day of student life.

As they search for common ground, they stumble upon the one thing that unites all newcomers to the city: the nightmare of finding housing. One tells of a 50-year-old man with a German shepherd who only wants young women as flatmates. Another mentions ads marked "kink-friendly" or shared flats where seven people cram into a single bedroom.

"I must have messaged 30 or 40 shared flats," says Henni, 19, taking a sip of her Spezi—a mix of cola and orange soda. Rings glint on her fingers, and she wears small hoop earrings with a pink knit sweater. She's moving from Tübingen to Hamburg to study law but hasn't found a place yet.

Her first week, she stays with a friend. After that, she has a two-month sublet in Altona. What comes next is still up in the air. She's not alone—many first-year students are crashing on sofas or in hostels for now.

BAföG Housing Allowance Out of Touch with Reality

Henni's dream: an all-female shared flat, as central as possible, for no more than €600—maybe €650 at a stretch. That's her pain threshold, and she's already had to raise it.

Student housing in Hamburg has never been more expensive: the average rent for a shared flat room is now €650, according to recent data from the Moses Mendelssohn Institute. That's well above the national average of €512. Meanwhile, the BAföG housing allowance—Germany's state student aid—remains stuck at €380, unchanged despite soaring rents.

"The rent for a shared flat room is far too high," says Lasse Machalet, social affairs officer for the University of Hamburg's student council (AStA). While the Studierendenwerk—the student services organization—does provide affordable dormitories, demand far outstrips supply. "Every semester, we see the same problem: more people apply than we can accommodate," Machalet explains.

At the start of the summer semester, 1,260 students competed for just 744 available dorm rooms, the Studierendenwerk Hamburg reports. By 2030, an additional 3,000 dorm beds are planned in collaboration with the organization, following a resolution passed by Hamburg's parliament late last year.

Yet even existing dorms leave much to be desired. "Some student housing in Hamburg is notorious for issues like cockroaches and all sorts of problems," Machalet says. The Gustav Radbruch House, in particular, has faced repeated criticism, requiring regular visits from pest control.

The Studierendenwerk, which manages the Gustav Radbruch House, downplays the issue: "At present, there are no reports of an acute pest infestation in the Gustav Radbruch House."

The AStA points to long-planned renovations. "But like so much else at this university, the Studierendenwerk just doesn't have the funds for major investments," Machalet says. Due to the university's austerity measures, the student council recently even advised against studying in Hamburg altogether.

Now, the AStA Wants to Build Its Own Dorm

Frustrated by the status quo, the AStA is taking matters into its own hands. Since last year, it has been exploring ways to build its own student housing. In February, it approved articles of association for a nonprofit GmbH to spearhead the project, which would be financed through direct loans.

The initiative draws inspiration from the Mietshäuser Syndikat—a network of self-managed housing cooperatives—and Heidelberg's self-governed Collegium Academicum student dormitory. The project is still in its early stages, with completion not expected until around 2032.

The Studierendenwerk offered only a vague response: "In principle, we welcome all initiatives that expand affordable housing options for students."

For the first-years sitting in Café Knallo, future housing plans offer little immediate relief. Henni finishes the last sip of her Spezi. "I'm running out of outfits… and this is orientation week," she says with a grin. Right now, she's living out of a suitcase. Her parents have already sent a package of clothes from Tübingen to her sublet in Altona.

Right now, she's just looking forward to meeting new people, starting her studies, and exploring Hamburg. And the apartment hunt? Henni shrugs: "Oh, it'll work out somehow."

It has to. Her first semester of law school starts today.