Developments in the housing situation of Ukrainian refugees in Germany , Date: 2023.11.28, format: brief analysis, area: Authority

Cover: BAMF Brief Analysis 3|2023 Source: © BAMF

BAMF Brief Analysis 3|2023 examines how the housing situation of Ukrainian refugees developed between late summer 2022 and spring 2023.

The analysis is based on data from the first and second survey waves of the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP survey Refugees from Ukraine in Germany.

The brief analysis starts by outlining the legal framework at arrival and choice of residence of Ukrainian refugees, before showing how their housing situation developed in the late summer of 2022. The development of the housing situation is then analysed. For this purpose, the frequency of changes of residence is discussed and it is shown how Ukrainian refugees lived in spring 2023. Furthermore, it is analysed how mobile refugees differ from immobile refugees and which characteristics are associated with the transition to private accommodation.

Overview of the most important results

Until spring 2023, only a few registered Ukrainian refugees have left Germany again. However, a fifth of the refugees have changed their place of residence within Germany, with the majority of these changes taking place within the same city or municipality.

A good half of spatially mobile refugees said that they had moved because they had found more suitable accommodation, while official assignments play a rather subordinate role as a reason for relocation. Official assignments are most likely to be significant for people without social contacts in Germany.

People whose partner has moved in or out are particularly likely to have moved. This may be due to a change in housing requirements. Refugees who had previously lived in shared or other accommodation such as hotels or guesthouses also moved comparatively frequently, as did those who had initially moved into existing households.

Due to moves, the proportion of those living in private accommodation has continued to increase. At the same time, the proportion of Ukrainian refugees living in shared or other accommodation has decreased. The type of accommodation lived in seems to depend in particular on whether social contacts were already in place when they arrived in Germany.

The Brief Analysis was written by: Dr. Manuel Siegert, Dr. Kerstin Tanis, Dr. Andreas Ette and Dr. Lenore Sauer.