The Berlin Senate has decided on the planned Mietendeckel - and brings the nationwide controversial law now for further consultation in the House of Representatives. This was announced by Senate spokeswoman Claudia Sünder.
Red-Red-Green wants to freeze the rents for 1.5 million flats built before 2014 for five years at the level of mid-2019 and set upper limits for new lettings depending on the age and equipment of the flats. In certain cases, rent reductions should be possible.
The reason for the nationwide unprecedented approach is the housing costs in the capital, which have increased more in recent years than elsewhere in Germany. The economy and the opposition have been making headlines against the rental cover for months, warning that it is slamming away much-needed investment in new housing construction and modernization. Constitutionalists have strong doubts that the project is compatible with the Basic Law.
In the Berlin House of Representatives, the bill will continue to be discussed in the coming weeks and months. Depending on how long the consultation lasts, the rent cover will then be finalized in January or February 2020 and enter into force at the latest in March. He should then apply retroactively to 18 June 2019 - on that day, the Senate had agreed on first cornerstones.