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Real estate market: Berlin rent index rises by 1.1 percent

2021-05-07T16:26:01.938Z


After the Federal Constitutional Court tipped the rent cap in the capital, housing is becoming more expensive for many Berliners. The new rent index is up to 13 euros per square meter.


Enlarge image

High-rise buildings on Leipziger Strasse: Housing is becoming more expensive

Photo: Christoph Söder / picture-alliance / dpa

The Berlin rent cap is history.

A rent index is now valid again for the 1.4 million Berlin apartments.

Compared to the last edition of 2019, the values ​​are on average 1.1 percent higher.

The average rent is therefore 6.79 euros per square meter, seven cents more than two years ago.

This time, the figures were not based on market data, but on the nationwide consumer price index.

"By publishing a qualified rent index, the state consistently uses the scope existing in federal law to limit rent increases," said Senator Sebastian Scheel (left).

The rent cap, with which the Senate had frozen rents, was declared null and void by the Federal Constitutional Court in April.

In the rent index, landlords and tenants can see which rent is allowed at most.

Only tenants' associations have formally recognized the new rent index.

However, the landlords have provided advice.

Tenant representatives expect many disputes in court

Alternatively, landlords can justify a rent increase with an appraisal or three comparable apartments. Owners repeatedly attack the rent index in court. "We expect a lot of rent increases, with which the rent index values ​​are to be exceeded, and numerous legal disputes," announced the Berlin tenants' association.

"We are assuming that our approximately 140 Berlin member companies will stick to him as usual," said the Association of Berlin Brandenburger Housing Companies.

Berlin's largest private landlord, Deutsche Wohnen, also committed to this.

"In order to take into account the current situation with a view to the corona pandemic and the ruling on the rent cap, we have also decided not to implement any rent increases in the current year," announced board member Lars Urbansky.

The rent index does not apply to apartments in one- and two-family houses or terraced houses.

Apartments that have been ready for occupancy since 2018, social housing and accommodation with a toilet outside the apartment are also excluded.

The range of the local comparative rent in the new rent index ranges, depending on location, size and equipment, from 5.51 euros per square meter for simple, medium-sized apartments in post-war buildings to 13.03 euros in younger houses.

In new contracts, the rent may be a maximum of ten percent higher according to the nationwide law on rent controls.

An average of 158 interested parties in one week for existing apartments

According to an analysis by the Immobilienscout24 portal, Berlin landlords demanded an average of 13.76 euros for new apartments in the first quarter of the year, compared to 10.01 euros for existing properties.

The demand is high: an average of 158 prospective customers registered for an existing apartment per week, and 29 for the new building.

Since the Mietendeckel ruling, slightly more apartments in Berlin have been advertised again.

The company announced that it is not yet possible to say whether this will ease the housing market a little.

And another tendency is emerging: since the rent cap has been removed, landlords are demanding more.

An average of around 90 cents or seven percent per square meter, according to Immobilienscout24.

The portal only evaluated its own advertisements.

It does not take into account, for example, apartments that mainly large landlords and brokers directly assign via their waiting lists or that have been advertised elsewhere.

mic / dpa

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2021-05-07

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