Berlin's path to socialising housing: a Left-party triumph with an uncertain outcome

Writing in Der Tagesspiegel on 18 October 2026, columnist Daniel Böldt frames the breakthrough in Berlin's coalition talks as a historic moment for the Left party. After four weeks of difficult negotiations following the September election, the Left, Greens and SPD have agreed to begin coalition negotiations around a 25-page paper titled 'Mehr gemeinsam, mehr Berlin'. For the first time in the Federal Republic's history, a state government is preparing to apply Article 15 of the Basic Law to socialise private property: roughly 160,000 flats owned by companies with more than 10,000 units in Berlin, including Vonovia, Heimstaden and Covivio, could be transferred into public ownership. Compensation is capped at 16 billion euros, legislation is due by mid-2028, and implementation would start no earlier than 2029. Rents in state-owned housing are to rise by no more than 2 percent a year, and 100,000 new flats are to be built by 2031. The Greens and SPD vote on 21 October, the Left on 31 October. Böldt argues the Left's Elif Eralp has delivered an unprecedented win but warns the project could still turn Berlin into 'a laughingstock' if it fails in court or politically.