Overview
- SPD and Greens voted Monday to enter formal coalition negotiations with the election‑winning Left, while Die Linke will decide at a party congress on October 31.
- The parties based talks on a Sondierungspapier that locks in transport measures such as more bike lanes, higher local public‑transport quality, no further A100 autobahn construction, and the rollout of Kiezblocks.
- The coalition’s centerpiece is a plan to 'vergesellschaften' about 160,000 flats held by large landlords, targeting companies with at least 10,000 Berlin units and capping compensation at €16 billion.
- The federal government and major housing firms including Vonovia have vowed to oppose the socialisation plan and legal experts expect multiple constitutional challenges if the parties draft a law.
- If Die Linke agrees and talks proceed, the parties aim for a draft law by mid‑2028 and an effective date roughly a year after passage, an outcome that could reshape Berlin’s housing market and investor confidence.