PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) presented its housing policy 'GenRent' at the Art Factory in the southern suburb of Tavros on Thursday.
The event consisted of the policy's presentation by coordinator of the programming team Lefteris Karchimakis, and a discusssion on the program between PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis and scriptwriter Panagiotis Markezinis.
Karchimakis spoke of young men and women who "cannot leave their teenage room, the room of their childhood years" because they cannot afford rents. "Four in ten Greeks cannot pay their rent at the end of the month," he noted, while couples find it difficult to live together and raise a family. He also criticized the government for what he called disjointed regulations and a serious absence on checking the market and on not utilizing the power of the state and local governments to resolve the issue.
The six main pillars of the party's housing policy consist of the following:
1. The Social Cohesion and Family Ministry should set up a Housing Directorate that will do, among others, research on the housing situation in Greece and work with the Finance Ministry or any relevant agency on limiting rent increases in pressure zones or impose a specific rental rate for homes that do not fulfil basic qualities of housing; setting up an Office of Renters' Ombudsman; and having the Directorate work with local organizations to plan and build social housing. PASOK also outlined the actions the Finance Ministry could carry out, suggesting measures such as suspending the Golden Visa programs (which provide foreign investors with visas for Greece) in pressure zones.
2. Founding a Public Real Estate Management Company (REMC) that will be under public control and build, renovate and supervise 40,000 social housing units for low- and middle-income levels and vulnerable groups, prioritizing young employees and young couples.
3. Establishing a program 'Renovate-Economize-Contribute' for public companies and local governments in which the REMC renovates local government properties, allows REMC to collect rents for 15 years, with tax relief, and then turn them over to local government for further use.
4. Abolishing the Golden Visa program (which grants visas to foreign nationals for investments in Greece) on islands, urban centers, and Evros. It also recommended changes in the Angel (Investors) Visa.
5. Lowering taxes on individual taxpayers' incomes resulting from home rentals up to 120 square meters, under conditions.
6. Incorporating in legislation housing (a room) for each staff member in tourist housing of a certain size, and forbidding their use for other purposes.