Berlin’s state-owned housing companies are currently raising rents. The Berlin Senator for Housing, Christian Gaebler (SPD), confirmed that the companies are currently sending out corresponding letters to tenants.
The Berlin-Brandenburg Association of Housing Companies (BBU) released details of the rent increases on Wednesday. According to the association, approximately 90,000 households renting state-owned property will face higher rents. The increases average between €15 and €30 per household according to Ingo Malter, spokesperson for the seven state-owned housing companies. According to reports, however, the increase ranges from a few cents to over €100 more per month for certain larger apartments exceeding 100 square metres. Malter emphasised that all agreements regarding upper limits would be adhered to.
Christian Gaebler said that the entirety of the state-owned properties would never be affected, as rent increases are legally limited to 11% over three years. Furthermore, rents for a state-owned company’s entire housing inventory may increase by 2.9% at most per year. Niklas Schenker (Die Linke) criticised the rent increase demands as sending the wrong signal and called for their reversal. He believed companies were raising rents before a new Die Linke-led state government could halt them.
Malter claimed the timing of the announcements had nothing to do with the Berlin state elections. He pointed to the sharply increased construction and maintenance costs in recent years as the cause. Between 2016 and 2025, repair costs increased by more than 93 percent.
