Rent Freeze #4: How To F#€k Up A Mietendeckel

Rent Freeze #4: How To F#€k Up A Mietendeckel

The Berlin Mietendeckel experiment is finished. The city's revolutionary attempt to freeze rental prices for five years, and reduce overpriced leases, has been killed off by Germany's highest court.

The decision has unleashed a political storm. Everyone is angry - but who will voters punish? The R2G parties who tried to regulate rents? Or their opponents, the CDU and FDP who successfully derailed the project? We make the case for why each side is to blame.

There's a big bill to pay, as hundreds of thousands of Berliners now face back-payments, higher rents and permanent shadow contracts. We'll run the numbers on the potential local economic crisis that could follow.

What hope is there left for affordable housing? And what can the rest of the world learn from Berlin's short-lived rental revolution? The experiment is over. Now it's time to analyze the results

The Challengers

The CDU and FDP took the Mietendeckel law to the constitutional court, where it was struck down. They perpetuated a false narrative - "build, don't cap" - which claimed, incorrectly, that the Mietendeckel prevented new development (constructions from 2014 were specifically excluded from the law). The CDU was responsible for weakening federal rental regulations in the first place, enabling prices to skyrocket.

And then there's political donations - or as Joel calls it, legalized corruption. Almost 80% of the CDU's publicly-declared donations come from the real estate sector.

Joel interviews Berlin FDP leader Sebastian Czaja and challenges him on his false claim that the Mietendeckel prevented building, and on the FDP's donations from real estate companies. Czaja says his party takes donations from all parts of society.

The Supporters

Are the parties who created the Mietendeckel culpable of incompetence? The governing coalition of the SPD, Die Linke and Die Grünen - or R2G - took a huge political and financial gamble, and lost.

The R2G promised renters a revolution, but delivered a regression. Many tenants must now make large back payments for which they have not saved. They went against the advice of many legal experts who warned their law was unconstitutional.

We speak to two of the Mietendeckel's creators. Kilian Wegner is a law professor and SPD member who co-authored a policy paper which laid the groundwork for the Mietendeckel. He says the R2G was right in taking a chance on an uncertain law, due to out-of-control property prices.

Another lawyer, Professor Franz Mayer, wrote an expert opinion which argued Berlin had the constitutional right to create the Mietendeckel. He says there was a chance of success, and believes the court should have helped tenants by negating backpayments.

The Big Bill

How much will the Mietendeckel fiasco cost? We interview real estate researcher Christoph Trautvetter. He estimates the backpayments will cost renters between €100 to €300 million. Ongoing rent increases will cost around €500 million annually - that's half a billion euros flowing from tenants to landlords, money not going into the local economy.

Daniel Halmer from Conny.Legal, formerly Wenigermieter, says tenants may be able to reduce backpayments and shaddow rents by using the Mietpreisebremse - the existing rental regulation that limits rent increases to 10% of local prices.

Time to Sieze Property?

An even more radical concept is now gaining support - the referendum initiative known as Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen, who want to seize properties from big corporate landlords.

We speak to Wouter Bernhardt from the movement's podcast Von Menschen und Mieten. He says expropriation would be a permanent solution to rising rental prices.

The End of the Experiment?

The Mietendeckel experiment ran too short to answer many questions, and the data was disrupted by the parallel pandemic. But we did learn a few things. If you want a minor reform, demand a revolution. If you get your revolution, prepare for reprisal. Tenants globally now know rent control is no longer excluded from the political discourse.

Rent Freeze is produced and presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Artwork by Jim Avignon. Music by Tom Evans and Ducks!

Avsnitt(226)

RS#20 2013: Truth in a booth

RS#20 2013: Truth in a booth

On this show, we will be playing an interview from a group called, The Truth Booth. Maisie went along to meet them and find out about the project, how it works, the results so far and how it will evolve. See the link for the Truth Booth webpage: www.the-truth-booth.org Our "Short News" this time is regarding a Walter Womacka memorial that's been in Ikea bag storage for the last few weeks but recently has been re-located to Mitte, near Unter Den Linden by the housing association, WBM. Here's a link to Maisie's blog with documentation of the memorial: http://bit.ly/1axI0PK Before signing off... Maisie and Andrew had a chat about a recent video creation by the Goethe Institute of Germany. Not to spoil the surprise, but we don't think it's great.... Take a look for yourself on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1axI6qk Music this week from Phedre (Cold Sunday!) and House of Black Lanterns feat. Leni Ward (Shot You Down) The Spaeti team saw Phedre in a recent gig and found them to be most enjoyable.

20 Okt 201323min

RS#19 2013: Where to live in Berlin? Bruno Taut's Horseshoe Estate or Merkel's old apartment?

RS#19 2013: Where to live in Berlin? Bruno Taut's Horseshoe Estate or Merkel's old apartment?

On this episode of Radio Spaetkauf, how did your district vote in the election? Hear Andrew and Maisie reveal some pretty expected results. We discover a chance to rent Angela Merkel's old flat in Prenzlaurer Berg, without her old furniture sadly. Maisie talks about a new threat to develop on Tempelhofer Feld and what you can do about it and Andrew is surprised to see a last stretch of the original Autobahn is soon to be closed. Our main audio segment comes from the fantastic Jöran Mandik and another of his Berlin Audio Tours. It's episode 3 - a tour of the Hufeisensiedlung (Horseshoe Estate). Bruno Taut's architectural marvel in Neukölln. You can partake in the 100% Tempelhofer Feld campaign here http://www.thf100.de Music this week from UK band Crystal Fighters who are touring in Berlin next month and Mary Ocher, a Russian born, Berlin resident.

6 Okt 201323min

RS#18 2013: What is Electoral Rebellion?

RS#18 2013: What is Electoral Rebellion?

Don't worry, that "Go Home Tourrorists" election poster was only a joke by one of Germany's many satirical parties - although it might have been a viable vote-winner if it were real. The election is over, but one group of Germans wants to reform the voting system by gifting their votes to foreigners. We interview the initiator of the Electoral Rebellion program. Berlin's bumpy bike lanes may get smoothed over after the city government pledged €4 million to improve cycle routes across the city. This comes after Berlin was ranked the 24th most cycle-friendly city in Germany - quite far from the top. What's wrong with this poster? A graphic designer found out that using the German flag on a gig poster can incite unpatriotic Germans to tear the offending symbol down. Maisie share her traumatic story of being fined on the S-Bahn for not having a bike ticket, and Joel pours scorn on Robben & Weintjes, the truck rental company that enjoys blowing smoke in your face. Music by Skiing, who are playing a show at Westgermany on September 26. Come along!

22 Sep 201332min

RS#17 2013: Meet the creative ad-buster. Vermibus

RS#17 2013: Meet the creative ad-buster. Vermibus

How desperate are Berliners to find an apartment? On this episode of Radio Spätkauf we discuss a new real estate option for those who can't find a flat - a one-room bedsit inside a shipping container on the outskirts of the city, for €349 a month. Elections are coming up, so we talk about some terrible posters by the CDU, and an embarrassment for the FDP which used the same stock footage as the NPD. Andrew interviews an artist who uses acid to warp street posters and subvert advertising. Our new regular contributor Jöran Mandik takes us on an architectural audio tour of the Amerika-Gedenk Bibliothek, which has a few surprising secrets: there's a one-person cinema for watching forbidden films, and a piano room where you can practice your scales.

9 Sep 201330min

RS#16 2013: Weed cafe in Görlitzer Park?

RS#16 2013: Weed cafe in Görlitzer Park?

Görlitzer Park is the feature of this broadcast. One political party, the CDU, think the park has become dangerous and want to close it each night from 11pm to 5am. Another party, the Greens, want to open a Dutch-style marijuana coffee shop in the park. Both plans seem quite different, but have the same goal: to stop drug sales. We discuss how Berlin is turning into a refuge for American political exiles, with the arrival of Jacob Applebaum and other activists escaping the observation state. Also on the show, guest journalist Matthew Tempest interviews author Alan Crawford about Angela Merkel and discovers some surprising facts: on the night the Wall fell, Merkel went to the sauna instead of celebrating.

26 Aug 201326min

RS #15 2013: Election posters and the Pirate Party

RS #15 2013: Election posters and the Pirate Party

It's election time, and Berlin's streets are full of political posters. We visit a meeting of the Pirate Party to learn more about who they are and what they stand for. If you're interested, head along to their weekly English-language meetup at a bar in Neukölln. Police have been conducting raids on Görlitzer Park. One organization, Reach Out Berlin, is protesting against the racial nature of the crackdown. You've probably noticed the increase in U-Bahn tickets, but get ready for a 30% increase in haircut costs as hairdressers enjoy a new minimum wage of 6.50 EUR an hour. In a new segment, city planning enthusiast Jöran Mandik takes us on an architectural tour of the Akazienhof, a colorful World Heritage Listed development on the south-east edge of Berlin.

12 Aug 201330min

RS #14 2013: We're not here for the fun of it

RS #14 2013: We're not here for the fun of it

All this hot weather making you feel frisky? Fancy some outdoor lovin'? Might be worth losing your job first. We discuss Germany's strange laws regarding outdoor sex. Also on the show: a life sentence for Berlin's celebrity bears Maxi and Schnute, bye- bye Festsaal Kreuzberg, and the Mayor of London's love letter to Berlin. Building officially begins on the city's next BER, the Stadtschloss, plus: dirty lakes, and why the Jewish Memorial wasn't built to last. We talk to the people behind the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien's current show - Wir sind hier nicht zum Spaß! - an exhibition revisiting Berlin's nightlife and culture of the 90's http://www.kunstraumkreuzberg.de/start.html and announce a competition for Berlin's ugliest building. This week's song comes from exotic American songstress, Geneva Jacuzzi.

28 Juli 201329min

RS #13 2013: Imagine an advertisement-free Berlin?

RS #13 2013: Imagine an advertisement-free Berlin?

On this episode of Radio Spätkauf: Can you imagine an advert-free Berlin? The Amt für Werbefreiheit & Gutes Leben can. We talk to them about their campaign to remove advertising from the city's streets. Plus:the mysterious forces at work behind the aborted auction of the Spreepark in Plänterwald, awkward gig venues, Soviet poster boys, kim.com, no more eateries in the Graefekiez & an interview with the folks trying to set up an alternative to GEMA, Germany's main performance rights organisation. All tonight on reboot.fm 11pm and online.....

14 Juli 201328min

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