Neukölln Uses Pre‑Emption to Buy Jansastraße 12, Citing Illegal Conversions

Overview

• The district finalized the purchase on November 19 shortly before the deadline, transferring the Reuterkiez property to the state-owned housing company Stadt und Land.
• Authorities cite unauthorized layout changes, mini-room subdivisions, and prohibited commercial or short‑term rentals, with reports that mattresses were rented in overcrowded flats.
• The prospective private buyer declined to sign an abatement agreement to restore regular apartments, triggering the district’s use of its pre‑emption right.
• Stadt und Land committed to limited, socially compatible modernizations, to undo the unlawful conversions, and to return the units to regulated leases under the Berlin rent index.
• Officials say the action protects tenants in a Milieuschutzgebiet and marks Berlin’s third pre‑emption since the 2021 court ruling, the first based on illegal conversions and rental practices rather than structural decay.