At Senja, there are boom times. Young people get a boat and a fishing quota and earn good money. Company managers in the seafood industry are hiring at a high pace and attracting new people to the villages. There is only one, critical problem, says Rita Karlsen. – The housing situation is precarious. We have far too small a house and no places for the employees who come. Rita Karlsen is general manager of the seafood group Brødrene Karlsen on Husøya. Photo: Pål Hansen/news She is the general manager of Brødrene Karlsen on Husøya, a profitable industrial venture from the fishing industry in Senja. In the autumn, she will hire fifteen new ones. – I might be able to find a place for them to sleep. But then when we get to the winter season, I have nowhere to do people. She says the biggest challenge for the fishing industry in Senja is getting people housing. Immigrants constantly end up being refused by the bank when they ask for a loan so that they can build themselves. Therefore, the cornerstone company is now erecting an apartment building itself to remedy the situation. – I have a feeling that the banks see the postcode, and so don’t do much to get things done. In Botnhamn, too, Nord Senja Fisk has found it necessary to build housing for its employees to have a roof over their heads. Photo: Pål Hansen/news – Losing bidding rounds against cottagers from the city The banks comply with the mortgage regulations, which have been adopted by the Storting. It says that the banks can only give people loans that correspond to 85 percent of what the home is worth. They also do a so-called careful market assessment where they look at what a newly built home will be worth if it is to be sold again. It does not differentiate between town and country, although there is not as big a market here as in the bigger cities. The banks have room to exercise some discretion, but only for 10 percent of loan applications. In this way, a house that costs 6 million to build can be assessed by the bank to be worth 3 million when it is finished in Senja. This is called the property’s mortgage value, and often leads to rejection by the bank. For the bank, a cottage is often a better investment. Egil Johansen is manager at Nord Senja Fisk in Botnhamn. He says that there is a big rift about homes that are put up for sale, and that the village’s people often lose out to cottagers from the city in bidding rounds. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / news Senja is attractive to city dwellers who want a cabin. With the security of a home in Tromsø, a loan application for the construction of a cabin in Senja is a less risky project for the bank. Egil Johansen is manager at Nord Senja Fisk in Botnhamn. Here, too, they have found themselves having to build homes themselves so that the employees will have a roof over their heads. But this is not enough here either. – If a property is sold in Botnhamn, there is a bidding war right away. Then you also have to win over him who has an apartment in the city worth 8 million and a lot of mortgage funds to buy a holiday home. Senior mayor Tom Rune Elisussen (Sp) believes that the Storting must urgently address and amend the mortgage regulations. Believes the mortgage regulations are made for cities, not for villages Elisussen says the reactions have been hailed after news told about how immigrants are struggling to get loans to build houses, at the same time that 600 cabins have been built. Tom Rune Elisussen, mayor of Senja (Sp). Photo: Pål Hansen / news – It is obvious that it has struck a nerve. We have received reactions both from the north and the south, from contractors who want to build and from company managers who have an urgent need for housing. Last year, the municipality received 147 applications for the 100 million they lend through the start-up loan scheme in the Husbanken. Almost all of the money that was lent went to families with children. The number of millions the municipality lends has been increased several times in recent years. Still it is not enough. – There is a lot of pressure in the market, but in the districts it is the opposite. Here, there are construction costs that do not correspond to the mortgage value when the home is finished. Then the banks will not take the risk. Elisussen points out that the mortgage regulations came into place after high price growth in the cities. – The Storting should look at the mortgage regulations and take account of the districts. Government schemes should be created as soon as possible to support the districts. In recent years, around 600 cabins have been built in Senja. Photo: Pål Hansen / news 1,000 new people could come to Senja A report has been drawn up which shows that there could still be up to 1,000 new jobs up to 2025. In the last year alone, Salmar has employed 92. Several have to live on the couch with friends or acquaintances, which makes them fear a loss of applicants, says the factory manager. They are still going to employ 40 more at the plant in Jøvika. But there are only two or three houses there, and it is difficult to get a loan from the bank to build. – This is the situation for many municipalities in District Norway, and especially those with growth in business. New jobs are created and large investments are made, but there is no housing offer for those who will be employed, says mayor Tom Rune Elisussen. news has asked Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum for an interview about the housing development in the districts and whether he wants to change the mortgage regulations. We have not received that, with the explanation that Vedum is in a hurry. It is therefore State Secretary Lars Erik Bartnes who responds to emails to news. Bartnes points out that the banks can exercise discretion to a greater extent than they have done, and that Husbanken also has the option of deviating from the equity requirement. – The lending regulations are to be evaluated this year and the Ministry of Finance has asked the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority to advise on the need for changes by 3 October 2022. The Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority’s proposal will, as usual, be sent for consultation, writes the state secretary.
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The Karlsen brothers on Husøy in Senja must become housing developers – employees cannot get loans to build themselves – news Troms and Finnmark
