Carsten Brückner is a specialist lawyer for tenancy and condominium law, and for ten years Chairman of the national Association Haus & Grund Berlin, representing in the capital, around 9,000 owners. You are part of private apartment owners, part owners of one or more properties that you rent out.
question: Mr. Brückner, represented by the land Association of the Association Haus & Grund, the property owners in Berlin. What do you mean? Who Berlin is?
Carsten Brückner: Berlin is mostly a city of Renters, the property is a little spread. Statistically, more than half of which is but in private – not in the case of large investors, but in the case of “Lieschen Müller”. Exact Figures for Berlin are not known.
question: In the last years, major new investors coming on to the Berlin real estate market. What are the effects of the smaller owners?
Brückner: especially the real estate market of the policy has been made to the field of activity of an envy debate. Between the individual private owners and large investors, no distinction is made – allegedly all involved in the speculation, driving the prices up and out to modernize the people. This is simply untrue.
question: do you Have any evidence for this?
Brückner: The justification for Rent control is that landlords would increase the Rent beyond the permissible extent. We make regular investigations which do not come out that most landlords can increase during a lease. Some of them don’t have a close relationship with their tenants, other know your options. In the case of the criticism of the real estate market in the last few years, so it was a few Large.
question: what could be done to restore the peace again?
Brückner: mainly due to less regulations. The more there are of these, for real estate, the less fun it is to have a property. At some point, the small owner, save yourself the Stress and sell your real estate is currently highly lucrative prices. The complicated rules affect the big companies at least. Because they have legal departments. The state should consider whether he shall adopt, really so many laws and regulations.
question: And the small owner, the rent would not increase at all?
Brückner: What you just have to say: We’re not doing this on a volunteer basis. Everyone wants to earn money. So a house is like a small business, and each owner has a responsibility to this company. The Senate is trying to stop currently, but Yes, above all, that real estate purchased, divided and re-sold.
question: Because there is a greater risk of self-need for notice of termination, or?
Brückner: Every new home owner a potential self is first of all a candidate needs. However, it is created thus restore them to private ownership. The and re-sell only a transit station is to Divide and ultimately leads to more apartment owners. The is positive! It is also the tenant are in the process of the purchase.
question: Why would it be positive if there are more tenants become owners?
Brückner: The more owners the more you have to deal the state with your interests. For example with measures against the rising prices of construction and regulations. It is also for building a positive, if someone invested in it. This is important for the attractiveness of the city.
question: To the attractiveness of Berlin, the cheap Rent have heard. This is not so. The failure of Rent control?
Brückner: Yes! The rental price brake is one of the best examples of how hypocritical politics can be. The forward concern to create affordable housing, is thus prevented. Now in the future are subject to even new buildings in the rental price brake. Then none of the builds but more!
question: Which measures would be more effective to keep the city affordable for all?
Brückner: I think we need to say that Berlin remains affordable for all. If I can afford it, whether because of economic loss or of a rent increase, then I have to accept that. There is no law of nature that gives me the right to forever stay in my familiar surroundings. And it is a very different question, whether the are to be taken into account, yet to come, in addition to the city. Can certainly do not claim to be low Rent.
question: the following real example: a 80-year-old pensioner has to take off after 40 years out of his apartment in Steglitz, because he can’t pay the rent after the last increase. He says: “I wanted to die in peace”. What do you say to someone like that?
Brückner: If it would have meant the state with Rent control seriously, he would have let us owners write the law. You could introduce a capping limit for social hardship cases, such as in the case of the modernization rent increase. It is located at 30 percent of household income. Realistic 40 percent. Then I could imagine that also for normal rent increases. A rent increase would not be possible, if the tenant demonstrates that he cannot pay for it. At the same time, the state would have to step in to compensate and the difference in pay.
This Interview first appeared in the “daily mirror” in the context of the long-term research, “to Whom Berlin?”.
