Low-cost housing advocates launch a grassroots campaign to force Berlin's state government into taking over nearly 250,000 apartments worth billions from corporate owners to fight rising rents in one of Germany's hottest real estate markets.
Apartment buildings in the district Mitte photographed from the television tower in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, April 4, 2019. A campaign is being launched in the German capital to force the Berlin's state government into taking over nearly 250.000 apartments from corporate owners like Deutsche Wohnen and others.
“There need to be some rules here for the game — it’s a city, not just open land for people to do what they want,” said Thomas McGath, a representative of the group behind the campaign, known as Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co. “It’s not something that can be completely determined by the market.” Rents have been steadily rising at the same time, and even though the prices still lag behind other major German cities and European capitals, growing gentrification has been forcing many out of the very neighborhoods whose trendy vibe they created.
The campaigning group’s argument invokes Article 15 of the German Constitution, which provides for the “socialization” of “land, natural resources and means of production” by transferring it to public ownership. It’s never been used before, but in principle should apply, said Christian Pestalozza, a constitutional and public law professor at Berlin’s Free University.
Deutsche Wohnen suggested the initiative was misguided, noting that its apartments average 60 square meters and rent for a modest 580 euros, and that even if they were sold to the city, it wouldn’t solve the housing crisis. The group behind the movement argues, however, that Deutsche Wohnen and others are so big that they can drive up an entire neighborhood’s rent calculations, and perpetually justify further increases.
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Berlin housing activists lead campaign to fight rising rentsGet breaking national and world news, broadcast video coverage, and exclusive interviews. Find the top news online at ABC news.
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