Vorarlberg plans housing points for German skills and work history

Vorarlberg is considering giving applicants for non-profit housing more points for speaking German and having a longer work history, ORF Vorarlberg reports. The proposed changes would affect the system used to rank people on the housing waiting list.

About 5,600 people are currently waiting for non-profit housing in Vorarlberg. State Councillor Marco Tittler of the ÖVP says almost 60 percent find a home within a year, rising to more than 90 percent among applicants in particularly urgent situations.

The existing system awards points according to need. Applicants who are homeless or need to leave their home because of domestic violence receive 500 points. Those who need an accessible home receive 450 points, while applicants whose housing costs exceed 45 percent of their income receive 400 points.

Additional points are awarded for having children in the household, being a single parent, being pregnant or moving from a larger home to a smaller one. Applicants also gain 15 to 20 points for each year they have been registered or employed in the municipality.

The ÖVP and the FPÖ want to add German-language ability and employment to the criteria. Tittler says experts are reviewing which factors to include and how much weight to give them. A specific proposal is expected in early 2027.

Constitutional law expert Peter Bußjäger says a points bonus for working and integration can be lawful, depending on how it is worded. Refusing someone housing solely because they do not speak German would be unlawful, he says. The Neos, meanwhile, want affordable housing to be planned across municipal boundaries. The issue is also due to be discussed at the Vorarlberg state parliament on Wednesday.