Rent Freeze #3: Don't Spend It

Rent Freeze #3: Don't Spend It

Rent Freeze #3: Don't Spend It

This month residents of Berlin should experience the biggest collective rent reduction in history. About 340,000 residents - one in six - may be eligible for a rent cut under the Mietendeckel, Berlin's radical new housing policy. But landlords are doing their best to stop it.

On November 23 landlords must reduce rents to regulation levels or face fines of €500,000. Tenants can check if they're paying too much at this website: http://www.mietendeckel.berlin.de
And they can cheating landlords to the city government here: https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/330040/

Anyone who gets a rent reduction should save the money, as they might have to pay it back. The Mietendeckel is being challenged in Germany's constitutional court, with a ruling expected in mid-2021. Jöran Mandik explains the court process - and the judges' red robes.

Furnished flats are not exempt from the Mietendeckel. But some companies are offering a buy-and-lease-back service model to help landlords get around the law. Tenants are told they have no choice but to rent both the flat and the furniture together. Other tricks include renting expensive basements, parking spaces and coworking desks inside their flat.

Double contracts have become standard: residents are offered two prices - a lower one that matches the rent freeze legislation, and a higher one they'll have ot pay if the law is later ruled unconstitutional. Such double contracts are most likely legal and enforceable, says rental expert Daniel Halmer from Conny.de (formerly Wenigermiete). But they could still be challenged using the Mietpriesbremse law, an older regulation which limits rent prices under some conditions.

What's the effect of the rent freeze so far? If you already have an apartment, the rent freeze appears to be working as expected. If you're looking for an apartment, things are tougher due to landlords restricting supply. A study by the ZIA found average rental prices have sunk by 5.7% in the first half of 2020. But availability has also fallen by about 50%, as property owners withhold empty flats from the market. For new flats built after 2014 - which are exempt from the Mietendeckel - prices are up 7.5%, and availability has increased by 18%, according to real estate portal ImmobilienScout24.

Swedish property management company Heimstaden Bostat isn't deterred by the rent freeze. The company is trying to purchase about 130 buildings with almost 4000 apartments at a cost of €830 million. Heimstaden told us they had factored the rental regulations into their financial planning.

Researcher Christoph Trautwetter recently produced a report called 'Who Owns Berlin' for the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. He debunks the myth that warned the Mietendeckel would scare investors away. "There is an excess of capital looking to invest under any condition, and ready to accept the Mietendeckel as a condition to invest in Berlin," Trautwetter said. You can read his report here: https://www.rosalux.de/publikation/id/43284

Next up on this series - who is to blame for Berlin's lack of new properties? We'll also hear from small-time landlords who face financial ruin under the rent freeze.

Rent Freeze is produced and presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Music by Tom Evans. Artwork by Jim Avignon. Produced in partnership with RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster.

Support us with a donation! https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

Avsnitt(226)

RS#08: Live at Donau115

RS#08: Live at Donau115

RS#08: Live at Donau115 by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

8 Nov 201542min

RS Update: Live show on Nov 8

RS Update: Live show on Nov 8

You're invited to a special Radio Spaetkauf live show at 6pm Sunday November 8 at Donau115 in Neukölln. Come along and hear the local news directly from your hosts Joel, Joeran and Daniel, plus some special guests. See you there!

1 Nov 20152min

RS#07: Trouble at Teufelsberg

RS#07: Trouble at Teufelsberg

RS#07: Trouble at Teufelsberg by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

3 Okt 201528min

RS#06: Bürgeramt blues - how to get an appointment

RS#06: Bürgeramt blues - how to get an appointment

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin's news show. On this episode: Europe's refugee crisis is hitting Berlin. Over 550 asylum seekers are arriving each day to seek a safer life. The city's bureaucrats are struggling to keep up with the influx, but volunteers are helping hand out water bottles as refugees wait in the hot sun to file their applications for asylum. The actor Til Schweiger has stepped in to call for more shelters for refugees, which has earned him our respect. Got a problem getting into the Bürgeramt to register your address? A startup has created a website where you can book an appointment at short notice for between €25 and €45. However it appears to operate by booking all the available appointments, then selling them back to desperate citizens. The BER airport is in trouble again, this time because one of the main contractors has filed for insolvency. That means the much-delayed opening date of late 2017 may be pushed back even further. Wondering why there are so many wasps around this summer? Our animal kingdom expert Jöran has the answer. Got a comment or question for the show? Write in to hallo@radiospaetkauf.com.

25 Aug 201536min

RS#05: Live at Mobile Kino Weekender

RS#05: Live at Mobile Kino Weekender

Listen to the first ever live Radio Spaetkauf, recorded in front of an audience of film fans at the Mobile Kino Weekender and featuring an interview with Mobile Kino founders Fernando and Joshua. On this episode we follow up Jöran's Tempelhof bug investigation, look into the costs of having a visit from the Queen and discuss whether or not there is any point in opposing Merkel for re-election. We also check back in on the späti petition and the plight of marriage equality in Germany, where the CDU has taken an internal vote to see what their members think about gay marriage. This weekend while we were camping there was a new version of the famous "Love Parade" through Berlin and we take a look at the coverage of it along with other stories on this very special episode recorded live at the Mobile Kino Weekender, a cinematic camping trip in the woods of Brandenburg. Radio Spaetkauf is the Berlin podcast, bringing stories from the city. Hosts Joel, Jöran and Daniel read you the news in English to make you feel more at home.

27 Juli 201529min

RS#04: Bug invasion at Tempelhof

RS#04: Bug invasion at Tempelhof

Have you been attacked by bugs at Tempelhof at lately? Swarms of June bugs are emerging at sunset to look for food, and are flying into people's heads. Radio Spaetkauf's insect expert Jöran explains what the bugs are up to. Should Berlin have a commuter ferry service along the river and canals? A pair of architects have come up with a bold proposal to extend the public transport system to the water. The ferries would run in a circuit along the Spree, Landwehrkanal and connecting waterways. Other cities have commuter ferries, why not Berlin? Although Berlin is home to a huge population of gay people, the city government is shamefully refusing to join in the global trend toward marriage equality for all. Berlin's representatives in the Bundesrat recently abstained from voting on a bill proposing marriage equality, under pressure from the city's CDU leader Frank Henkel. Berlin was once governed by a gay man, now it is under the control of a conservative Christian. Radio Spaetkauf is the Berlin podcast, bringing stories from the city. Hosts Joel, Jöran and Daniel read you the news in English to make you feel more at home.

20 Juli 201551min

The U-Bahn Flat Rate Proposal

The U-Bahn Flat Rate Proposal

The U-Bahn Flat Rate Proposal by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

13 Juni 201543min

Get ready for rent hikes

Get ready for rent hikes

The new rental price index comes out soon, which will give Berlin landlords an excuse to try to increase rents. At the same time, a new initiative is trying to force a referendum on rental issues by collecting signatures. Foreign residents aren't permitted to sign the petition, but Daniel and Joel argue that we should sign anyway to indicate our frustration at being denied political participation. The Radio Spaetkauf team reflect on the most recent May Day protests and celebrations. The former revolutionary holiday has become a huge street festival, with crowds so large that U-Bahn stations are closed to prevent overcrowding in central Kreuzberg. Has the city's strategy of turning May 1 into a party worked? After last episode's warnings about new drug prohibitions in Görlitzer Park, it seems drugs are popping up everywhere in local news. Cannabis was found to be growing wild on the Kottbusser Tor roundabout, cocaine was found in banana boxes at Aldi supermarkets, and the dealers in Görli are carrying on unperturbed. Listeners worried about Maisie and Andrew's absence can rest assured - they're traveling and will be back on future episodes, along with new co-hosts Jüri and Daniel.

17 Maj 201544min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
svenska-fall
motiv
p3-krim
flashback-forever
fordomspodden
rss-viva-fotboll
rss-krimstad
aftonbladet-daily
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
spar
rss-krimreportrarna
rss-frandfors-horna
blenda-2
olyckan-inifran
dagens-eko
krimmagasinet
rss-flodet
rss-expressen-dok