© dpa
From September to December, data on numerous rental apartments will be collected for the next Berlin rent index.
The apartments, whose tenants and landlords will be surveyed for this purpose, will be selected at random, the Senate Department for Urban Development announced on Wednesday. Urban Development Senator Christian Gaebler (SPD) solicited broad support for the survey.
"It is in the interest of tenants and landlords that rent levels in Berlin are realistically reflected," Gaebler said. "Regardless of the obligation to provide information, I would therefore like to encourage everyone to participate in answering the questions. In this way, we strengthen the rent index." Since 2021, there has been a nationwide obligation to provide information for rent index surveys.
The last rent index for Berlin was published in June - however, this so-called simple rent index was not based on a survey of tenants and landlords and therefore only served as a transitional solution. The new survey starting in September is now to lead to a new "qualified" rent index, which will then be valid for two years. Publication is planned for May of next year.
According to the Senate Department, numerous households will be contacted in the coming days and asked to answer a short questionnaire with only a few questions. The purpose is to determine which apartments may be used for the rent index according to the legal framework. This will be followed by personal interviews at the tenant households selected on the basis of the short questionnaire - with questions in particular about the rent level as well as the apartment and building amenities. Landlords will be contacted at the beginning of September and asked to answer these questions online or in writing.