© dpa
Around 1.5 million households in Berlin are to be protected from excessive rent increases in the coming years.
To this end, the Senate extended a regulation under which rents in existing contracts may be increased by a maximum of 15 percent within three years up to the local comparable rent. According to the Senate Department, this so-called cap has been in effect since 2018 and would have expired this year. The extension now applies for another five years until 2028.
To protect tenants, the Berlin Senate is using an option that the federal government, which is actually responsible for rent laws, has granted to the states. They can designate areas with a so-called tight housing market in which the cap applies. For around 350,000 tenants of municipal apartments in Berlin, additional protective mechanisms apply. Until the end of this year, they will be subject to a moratorium that will largely prevent rents from rising.