The second stage of the Berlin rental cap (Mietendeckel) comes into force on November 23 - but who can look forward to a reduction in their rent? Berliners can now work out if they will benefit with a new calculator. 

Rent reductions in Berlin from next week

The rent cap, which came into force on February 23, 2020, and will apply until 2025, is designed to end “rent chaos” in the capital. The so-called “red-red-green” state government wants to put a stop to rapidly spiralling rents which are pricing tenants out of their own neighbourhoods. The rent cap consists of three measures: a rent freeze, upper limits for re-letting, and a rent reduction. It does not apply to new buildings built after 2014. 

The first phase of the rent cap, the rental freeze, entered force on February 23, 2020 and applies to around 1,5 million apartments. It decreed that rents would be frozen in the capital for five years, while modernisation costs could only be passed onto tenants at a maximum cost of 1 euro per square metre. Furthermore, the Senate created a “rent table” that laid out upper rent limits for newly-concluded rental contracts. 

The second stage of the cap, the rent reduction, applies from next week. Anyone whose rent exceeds the upper limits set out in the rent table by more than 20 percent can have their rent reduced. The measure is expected to benefit around 340.000 people in Berlin. 

Are you paying too much rent?

To help citizens work out whether they are due a reduction, the Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing has made available a rent cap calculator. This lets you work out whether your own rent corresponds to the new legal regulations. You just need to know your residential address, the size of your apartment, furnishings, the year of construction and any modernisation measures that have been taken. 

If your rent is above the legally permissible value, you can contact your landlord or call the Senate administration. A link to an online application can be found directly on the website. The Senate’s Mietendeckel website also has a lot of useful information on the new law for both tenants and landlords. The website is available in 10 languages, including English.