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New GBV boss Gehbauer demands affordable housing for everyone!
In his inaugural speech as chairman of the GBV, Michael Gehbauer calls for more affordable housing and the targeted use of housing subsidies.
New GBV boss Gehbauer demands affordable housing for everyone!
On June 6, 2025, Michael Gehbauer took up his new position as chairman of the Austrian Association of Non-Profit Building Associations (GBV) with a clear message: “We urgently need to create additional, affordable living space.” He focused on the important role of GBVs as a stabilizing factor in the housing market. Gehbauer made an urgent appeal to politicians to support this mission and called for housing funding to be targeted. “People expect that the contributions will be used for affordable housing,” said Gehbauer in his inaugural speech. This request is no coincidence, as the housing shortage in many urban centers is real and urgent.
A current one study of the Economic Research Institute (WIFO) has now clearly demonstrated for the first time the price-dampening effect of non-profit housing construction. A 10% increase in the share of GBVs could reduce unregulated rents by 30 to 40 cents per square meter. For tenants of 70 square meters, this results in annual savings of between 250 and 340 euros. This makes it clear how important the role of GBVs is in the current tense housing situation.
Stability through non-profit housing
According to the research results, GBVs have made a decisive contribution to improving the quality of living since the 1960s. In Vienna, for example, it can be seen that the proportion of well-equipped apartments in the GBV sector is 19% higher than in the private rental sector. This goes hand in hand with the trend towards stable and affordable housing, as the rental prices of GBVs are flat, while the prices of for-profit providers often fluctuate greatly.
It is striking that regions with higher GBV shares also have lower price differentials compared to unregulated rents. This stability is particularly important in rural and heavily populated areas in eastern Austria. In urban regions, where competition between GBVs and for-profit providers is greater, GBVs have nevertheless brought noticeable efficiency and quality improvements.
A challenge remains
But research also shows clear challenges: Over the last two decades, the unregulated private residential segment has grown significantly, putting pressure on the price-dampening effect of GBVs. Although buyers of private rental apartments also benefit from the shift in competition, the balance on the rental market is fragile. The proportion of non-profit rental apartments, consisting of GBV and municipal apartments, rose to 43% in Vienna in 2020. This development is being driven by increasing demand for affordable housing, not least due to the increase in single-person households.
Vienna's population is continuously growing, while the average household size is decreasing. The need for a future-oriented housing policy that takes into account changes in housing construction and population structure is becoming increasingly clear. The study has once again underlined this urgent challenge and shows how important the function of the GBVs as non-profit providers in housing construction is.
In summary, it shows that the non-profit sector plays a key role in the creation of affordable housing. Given current developments, it is crucial that politicians and society find answers to the growing challenges in the housing market. Because as Gehbauer put it: “There’s something going on.”