90,000 rent increase notices sent in Berlin, tenants' association demands halt

The Berliner Mieterverein said on October 1, 2026 that landlords have sent around 90,000 rent-increase letters to Berlin households in recent months and demanded an immediate halt. The association's chair blamed the sharp rise on rents reaching the local reference rent (Mietspiegel) and on index-linked contracts that automatically pass inflation on to tenants. Many affected households are reportedly facing monthly increases of between 50 and 200 euros, with low-income renters, pensioners and single parents hit hardest. The Mieterverein called on the Berlin Senate and the federal government to extend and tighten the rent brake, cap index-linked rents, and provide more legal advice centres for overwhelmed tenants. Housing policy spokespeople of the Left and the Greens backed the demand, while the ruling CDU and SPD referred to planned federal reforms. The report once again puts housing costs at the centre of Berlin's political debate, following months of discussion about expropriation of large landlords and new social housing construction.