218,000 in queue for ‘long-term’ housing in Gothenburg
The number of people waiting in the queue for a house in Gothenburg are 218,000, and the queue for accommodation is going to grow longer and longer.
Mats Ekblad, the Communications Officer at Boplats, said that there were 218.200 people registered for a flat as on December 31, 2017.
Those who plan to stay in Gothenburg or in Västra Götaland Regionen usually register with Boplats for a flat. Once a flat is allocated, he or she or the family can live till the end of his or her life but a reasonable rent should be paid (not dictated by the market). The rents are not dictated by the landlords or builders but by the local government.
Mats said, “Boplats is a long term solution, a sort of insurance for days to come, not a quick way to find a place to stay.”
Boplats is the agency or the coordinating body to provide housing for those who plan to stay in Gothenburg aka Göteborg in the long-term. One has to register at its office or on the website, and pay an annual fee of SEK 100. But once registered one is bound to get a flat but it is just a matter of time. The waiting time varies, someone registered in 2016 may get one in 2020 or 2021 or longer. Boplats is also the place where landlords and builders can pick up would-be tenants, and in many cases the agency allots houses to registered persons on the basis of first-come, first-served: queue! As the figures say, there are 218,000 people in the queue for a housing including those Swedish who migrate from rural areas and hinterlands for education, job, for a change in lifestyle and to explore opportunities.
What is the current waiting time? The waiting time depends on many factors: the number of days you are in the queue, availability of apartments in the city, what type of flat you have applied for (larger apartment with more than 2-bedrooms usually have a longer waiting time).
According to the local government (Göteborgs Stad) the population forecast made in 2017: “The population of Gothenburg is increasing according to the new forecast of more than 150,000 inhabitants until 2035, from 556,640 to 708,000 people. This means an average annual population increase of 8,000.”
If someone registers for a housing in 2018, when will s/he gets a house either a studio or single or double room house…It is hard to say, probably 4, or 5, or 6 years or more but one can check on www.boplats.se
For more information, check
https://nya.boplats.se/om/nyheter/nyheter/siffror2017
https://vimeo.com/album/4916323/video/249389079
https://nya.boplats.se/hyresratt/filmer
https://vimeo.com/album/4916323
One can always find a real estate agent if one wants to rent out a flat, or buy a house in Gothenburg and there are a number of those like anywhere in the world but the rents will be usually higher. But Gothenburg (and Sweden) is slightly different from the rest of the countries and continents. The government directly or indirectly enables residents to find a secure housing and one those channels is through Boplats. There are fair rules that govern the tenants who gets a house in his or her name such as one cannot sub-let the flat, one cannot inherit it to his child among others.
Elmira Fanni, Göteborgare (Gothenburger), gives some tips on housing:
- Register at Boplats as soon as possible
- When you are looking for a flat or a house at Blocket, present yourself in the best possible way so that the landlord or the owner or the building company who wants to rent it to you, knows about you
- Talk to everyone you meet that you are looking for a house (friends, acquaintances, colleagues, on social media)
- Don’t have too many demands. It is better to have somewhere to call home even though it is not perfect for you (for the time being)
- If you can afford, buy it
The issue of housing is one of the major challenges in Gothenburg. Because there is a sharp gap between demand and supply though construction is on a war footing. The population rise is due to the location of the city, being an industrial and educational hub, and due to migration. And, it is one of the top 5 areas in Europe in terms of economic growth and future potential in terms of business.
Gothenburg is a sought-after city in Sweden and among Nordic countries. Swedish describe it is as ‘lagom’ meaning a city that is neither big nor small but a perfect/sufficient/adequate. It evokes a feeling that you are living either in a city or in a town or both but you have access to everything you need in life often by public transport.
Gothenburg aka Göteborg: lagom är bäst (enough is as good as a feast).
