>But, how does it come, that these procedures to get building permits have been slowed down/bureaucratized to the point that it almost seems intentional? NIMBY

>But, how does it come, that these procedures to get building permits have been slowed down/bureaucratized to the point that it almost seems intentional? NIMBY. Whomever owns the land/house right now wants it to go up in value which happens more if there is a lack of supply. >Also, the anger is not about them intentionally shortening supply - it’s about them intentionally asking and taking the higher prices. Nobody forces them to take more than e.g. a 10% shortage signal markup, but we force people on the other side to wipe the floor with their dignity. So in a free market if they sell for cost+10% then the first person they sell to will either rent it, airbnb it or sell it for market rates. The only difference is that now someone won a bit of a lottery versus the developer getting it. Of course they had to pay market rate for the land they built on so it's likely they're already selling at cost+N%.