Overview

• Over the past six months, Berlin’s rent review office examined about 190 contracts and found excessive pricing in 177 cases.
• In 48 cases the rent exceeded the local benchmark by more than 20%—a possible administrative offense—and in 120 cases it topped 50%, raising potential criminal concerns.
• The service launched in March with roughly €150,000 in funding as a low-threshold advisory offering housed at the public body Sicheres Wohnen.
• Two Prenzlauer Berg advisers—Mieterberatung Prenzlauer Berg and Asum—operate the office with about 40 staff hours per week, handling roughly 80 inquiries monthly and issuing 168 result letters so far.
• Asum reports repeated violations by larger housing companies, the Berlin Tenants’ Association urges systematic portal checks by a state authority, and Senator Christian Gaebler notes the Senate can mainly inform and encourage tenants to act.