Oslo municipality can increase municipal housing by up to 80 per cent with a subsidy scheme

In the national budget for 2024, the scheme was discontinued, but the Storting with a majority consisting of the Red Party, the Socialist Left Party, the Conservative Party and the Progressive Party gave the marching order for the scheme to be reintroduced.

– There is a critical shortage of municipal housing in Oslo. Over 2,500 households are waiting in line, and the rental market has gone haywire, says Omar Samy Gamal, who is the housing policy spokesperson for Oslo SV.

SV has sent the Oslo City Council question about how many homes Oslo municipality can provide annually if Husbanken’s subsidy scheme is again introduced.

City councilor for culture and industry, Anita Leirvik North writes that in a scenario where the purchase budget for the municipality is NOK 100 million, and the subsidy amounts to 45 per cent, reintroduction of the subsidy could be increased to NOK 180 million.

– This means that in theory you can buy 80% more homes with a corresponding limit on the municipal grant. It is specified that the real increase will depend on a number of factors, writes the city council

SV believes that the scheme cannot be reintroduced quickly enough.

– I expect the government to follow the Storting’s marching order and reintroduce the grant scheme already in the autumn budget proposal for 2025, says Gamal in a comment to the response from Oslo City Council.

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