Intervention for inflation and rents?

Divided opinions from the SPD and FDP – “dollar signs in the eyes”

Created: 06/05/2022, 21:08

By: Linus Prien

Because of the high inflation, the Social Democrats and the Liberals are discussing possible rent increases – but they cannot come to a common denominator.

Berlin - The left wing of the SPD wants to protect tenants from inflation-related rent increases with state intervention.

However, the FDP politician Wolfgang Kubicki spoke out against state intervention.

The SPD and FDP had already clashed last week.

"Vonovia and other real estate companies regularly show that they have dollar signs in their eyes and act completely irresponsibly," said the co-chairman of the Democratic Left Forum in the SPD (DL21), Sebastian Roloff, the

.

However, housing is “one of the social issues of our time”.

That is why the state must intervene if the market is significantly imbalanced: "A temporary rent freeze, a municipal right of first refusal and the de-privatization of real estate groups are necessary and suitable means that are now required."

Inflation: Vonovia boss comments on possible rent increases

The triggers are statements by the head of Germany's largest real estate group, Rolf Buch.

In an interview with the

, he said: "If inflation is permanently at four percent, rents will have to increase accordingly every year in the future."

In the interview, Buch had answered the question “What do the tenants of Vonovia’s 500,000 apartments have to be prepared for?”.

A Vonovia spokeswoman emphasized, however, that the statements were about economic development and not about a specific announcement.

Wolfgang Kubicki © IMAGO

Inflation: Klingbeil considers rent increases to be irresponsible

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil called rent increases irresponsible because of inflation.

"We are currently being asked to stand together as a country in this difficult situation," he told the

media group.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) therefore sat down with employers and unions to look for the best way together: "This is a national effort".

The national chairman of the Jusos, Jessica Rosenthal, told the

: "Housing is a human right and must never become the subject of speculation."

Inflation: Kubicki speaks out against state intervention

The deputy FDP chairman Wolfgang Kubicki, however, warned against an intervention.

"We need more apartments, not more government intervention," he told

.

"The nationalization of real estate groups does not create a single apartment, but only means that the scarce living space is transferred to other hands."

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The head of the SPD employee wing, Cansel Kiziltepe, on the other hand, replied: "Housing companies make sense of it without being able to explain to what extent inflation should have cost effects on existing apartments".

The president of the Haus und Grund community of owners, Kai Warnecke, also explained that "not all cost items develop in line with inflation".

There is "no automatism" that rents will have to rise across the board if inflation is higher.