Overview
- An IFSS analysis commissioned by the Berliner Mieterverein finds furnished, time-limited rentals siphoning homes from the long-term market and inflating prices, with 2022 offers averaging 19.44 €/m² versus 11.54 €/m² for regular leases and peaks up to 35 €/m².
- Listings for “Wohnen auf Zeit” rose from about 18,000 in 2015 to 39,039 in 2024, surpassing regular offers, while at least 8,000 units were identified as furnished.
- Hosts can bypass platform registration checks by self-declaring as commercial, and hard-hit districts such as Mitte and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg report lacking staff and tools to enforce rules.
- The tenant group urges permits for furnished lets in protected neighborhoods, a public intermediary for time-limited housing, expansion of the overnight tax to private hosts and booking platforms, and citywide curbs once court-tested.
- Policy work is underway with a federal Justice Ministry expert group preparing proposals due by year-end, the Berlin Senate advancing a Wohnraumsicherungsgesetz, and an EU rule mandating registration of all holiday rentals from April 2026.