Excessive rent in Berlin: 1000 euros for 20 m² – what to do?

Excessive rent in Berlin: 1000 euros for 20 m² – what to do?

In recent years, the housing market in Berlin has experienced a real upheaval. The prices for furnished apartments in particular have increased. Current reports show that rents of up to 38 euros per square meter are achieved, especially in attractively located districts such as Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain. A shocking example is a 20 m² shared room that is offered for an impressive 1000 euros. The more than 2100 euros for a 48 m² apartment are more than just a certain rent extortion.

This development is not only alarming, but also has an impact on the regular housing market. More and more short-term rentals are displacing the variety of offers offered by regular rental agreements and depriving tenants of their living space. The Berlin Tenants' Association is therefore in favor of urgently needed measures to counteract rent usury. These include a cap on furniture surcharges and stricter rules for renting furnished apartments. Since the measures were introduced, over 13,500 cases have been filed against illegal holiday rentals, demonstrating the scale of the problem.

Urban development and regulations

Rising rental prices are not the only problem. The district authorities are struggling to control and regulate the increasing number of holiday apartments. Around 5,300 holiday apartments are officially registered, while more than 8,100 have been returned to the regular housing market through various procedures. The new EU regulation, which comes into force in 2026, will introduce a requirement for a registration number for commercial offers and could improve the situation in the long term. However, this requires the Senate to develop appropriate software, which will take additional time.

The tenants' association also emphasizes that landlords use the furniture to escape the rent cap and the ban on misappropriation. On average, a surcharge of around seven euros per square meter is due for furnishing - which is often interpreted as an expression of rent extortion. The rising asking rents between 20 and 30 euros per square meter are a direct response to the tense market situation.

The market for temporary housing

In this environment, the topic of “temporary living” is becoming increasingly important. Many people who move to Berlin at short notice or are staying in the city are looking for flexible housing solutions. Platforms that provide temporary housing offer a welcome alternative, but they often come with challenges similar to those seen in the traditional housing market. Information about these offers can be easily found, for example on Immobilienscout24.

Overall, the situation in Berlin shows how urgently a comprehensive reform of the housing market is necessary in order to meet the needs of tenants and counteract the challenges of the real estate industry. It remains to be hoped that the coming rules and regulations will actually help to improve the situation.