Left says Berlin rents could still rise after socialization

What happens to rents if large housing companies in Berlin are socialized? According to a report by the Berliner Zeitung, the Left party has in the past pointed to possible significant rent cuts, but the focus is now on limiting future rent increases.

The paper says Ines Schwerdtner, federal chair of the Left, said on the 3sat programme "Bosetti Late Night" that rents could rise by up to 2 percent a year even after socialization. According to the report's account of her remarks, she also denied having promised rent cuts.

The Left had previously argued that socialization could lower rents. In a press release dated 10 January 2023, Niklas Schenker, housing policy spokesperson of the Left group in Berlin's state parliament, referred to a study. It found that rents in socialized housing stock could be cut by an average of 16 percent. The Berliner Zeitung notes that this was a model calculation and not a binding commitment.

After Schwerdtner's TV remarks, both she and Schenker commented on the matter at the newspaper's request. The available text of the article does not give details of what they said beyond this.