Berlin – Anyone looking for an apartment in Berlin has a hard time. This has been the bitter reality for years. A response from the federal government to a request from Bundestag member Caren Lay (left) now shows how dramatically the situation has developed. According to this, the asking rents in Berlin for re-letting and first-time letting of living space rose by almost 44 percent from 2015 to 2021. Even if the figures do not cover the entire market, for example because cheap apartments are advertised less frequently, they do point to a dangerous trend. After that, at least a not inconsiderable part of the apartments will be offered at ever increasing rents.
Make usury paragraphs applicable
If you are not lucky enough to be offered one of the inexpensive apartments, you will have to make do with one of the expensive accommodations, whether you like it or not. Violations of the rental price brake occur again and again. However, tenants rarely dare to take action against landlords because they don’t want to get in trouble with them. That is understandable, but not acceptable. Not just the tenants, unfortunately, but also the honest landlords.
The state must exercise its protective function. That means: On the one hand, in addition to the increased construction of inexpensive apartments, the rental price brake must be tightened. On the other hand, the “rent usury paragraph” must be made applicable. If the rent is more than 20 percent above the local comparative rent, this provision provides for a reduction in rent and a fine for the landlord. So far, however, the regulation has hardly been applicable, since tenants have to prove that the landlord took advantage of a predicament due to a low supply of apartments. That’s practically impossible. It’s time to adapt the law to reality.