A controversial ban on rent increases takes effect as Berlin takes steps to address a worsening housing crisis.
At a viewing for a small apartment, Lena Vasiljeva was surprised to find a crowd of 60 potential renters — and intuitively figured she and her husband had little chance, especially because they’re foreigners.
, enacted last June, takes effect on Sunday. The measure freezing prices at June 2019 levels, which is being challenged in court, can also force landlords of some 1.5 million private and public housing units in Berlin to lower rents if they’re deemed excessive., as it is known, was designed by the city government to apply a brake on what was deemed, by Berlin standards, a steep hike in rents over the past decade.
“Some investors will certainly be frightened away from Berlin by the rent cap, but it’s no big loss to see them go because they were evidently only interested in making lots of money,” said Wibke Werner, deputy director of the Berlin Mieterverein renters’ association, in an interview. Landlords, sometimes seen as villains in Berlin, in theory face fines of up to $550,000 if they refuse to lower rents to the cap’s upper limit.
“There just aren’t enough apartments in Berlin to meet the demand and there are some speculators pushing prices to indecent levels,” said Michael Zahn, the head of Deutsche Wohnen, a company that rents 110,000 apartments in Berlin, in a recent interview with Der Tagesspiegel newspaper. “The problem is high demand. The rent cap is only going to cause chaos and disharmony.”
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
Berlin: Well Go USA Takes South Korea's 'Train to Busan' Sequel for North AmericaSouth Korea’s Contents Panda has sold director Yeon Sang-ho’s upcoming action film 'Peninsula,' a sequel to the 2016 cult zombie action flick 'Train to Busan,' to 15 territories, including North America (Well Go USA) and the U.K. (Studio Canal). Details:
Consulte Mais informação »
Berlin: Leonine Takes 'Asterix & Obelix, The Silk Road' for Germany, AustriaLeonine, the new producer/distributor formed via multiple acquisitions by private equity giant KKR in Germany, has acquired all rights to 'Asterix & Obelix, The Silk Road' for Germany and Austria. Details:
Consulte Mais informação »
Berlin: Saban Films Takes Bruce Willis Action Sci-Fi 'Cosmic Sin' for North AmericaThe film follows a group of warriors and scientists who must fight off a hostile alien species with the power to infect and take over human hosts.
Consulte Mais informação »
Berlin: Synergetic Takes Kosovo Oscar Entry 'Zana' for North America (Exclusive)The surreal, psychological drama from director Antoneta Kastrati was Kosovo's entry in the 2020 best international feature Oscar category.
Consulte Mais informação »
Berlin: Hungary Thinking Local With New National Film InstituteBerlinale2020: Hungary is turning inward with its National Film Institute, a new government body set up last month to oversee public financing for Hungarian films and co-productions
Consulte Mais informação »
Berlin: Indies Move to Cooperate, Not Clash, With StreamersIndie distributors are finding new models to jointly buy and release films with SVOD platforms that both boost subscriptions and fill theater seats: 'We want the entire industry to grow, online and off.'
Consulte Mais informação »