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2w ago

Die Linke Expands Mietwucherapp to Four North Rhine-Westphalia Cities

Having amassed 135,000 users who filed over 5,000 formal complaints, Die Linke is leveraging the app’s findings to campaign for streamlined penalties under Paragraph 5 of the Wirtschaftsstrafgesetz.

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Overview

  • On June 30, Die Linke rolled out the Mietwucherapp in Bochum, Bonn, Köln and Münster to expose rent gouging.
  • The platform has registered 135,000 users who compared their rents against local rent indices.
  • More than 5,000 formal complaints filed via the app have flagged average rent surcharges of 59 percent above local indices.
  • These overcharges translate to average monthly tenant overpayments of €242, amounting to about €1.2 million in excess rents per month.
  • Die Linke is campaigning for streamlined application of Paragraph 5 of the Wirtschaftsstrafgesetz to facilitate fines and criminal proceedings for rent gouging.