Berlin · Local digest
One Berlin story today you'd miss anywhere else. Skip national politics. Prefer transport, housing, council decisions, openings, and city-level policy — the things that change life for someone living in Berlin. Always cite the local outlet (e.g. Tagesspiegel, RBB) so I can read further.
← Zur aktuellen AusgabeBerlin's housing crisis gets a trophy ceremony
Landlord hall of shame
Die Linke is calling out Berlin's worst rent offenders.
The party handed out six awards for egregious landlord behavior, spotlighting corporate abuses at a time when the city faces a 100,000-unit shortage and rents have jumped nearly 7% year-over-year [Quelle: The Berliner]. Heimstaden illegally demanded rent increases, Adler Group manages 17,000 Berlin flats plagued by mold, and Vonovia faced criticism over utility billing games. The stunt is part of a broader campaign heading into the September 20 election, where housing has become the central battleground.
Tenants are already angry—politicians are betting the anger stays focused on landlords, not them.
The numbers behind the crisis
Berlin needs close to 100,000 new flats right now.
Rents have spiked 7% across the board since last year, with some inner-city districts climbing 11%, while new supply lags far behind demand [Quelle: The Berliner]. Large corporate owners have become lightning rods for tenant frustration—partly because they control enormous portfolios and partly because they can absorb the political heat. Smaller private landlords, by contrast, often operate below the radar even when they raise rents just as aggressively.
Expect housing to dominate campaign rhetoric until the election.
And the Most Outrageous Landlord Award Goes To... - The Berliner7 hours ago ... “We're currently experiencing an acute housing crisis in Berlin,” says Niklas Schenker, Die Linke's housing policy spokesperson in the state parliament.the-berliner.com