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Berlin Left Demands Winter Halt to Forced Evictions Over Rent Arrears

Citing rising lawsuits alongside more than 2,200 forced removals last year, the party urges prevention through personal delivery of court notices.

Overview

  • Lead candidate Elif Eralp called for an immediate moratorium on evictions for rent debts, at least in municipally owned housing and focused on the cold months.
  • Berlin recorded 2,211 forced evictions last year, while more than 7,500 eviction lawsuits were filed in 2024, with roughly one in three cases ending in an eviction.
  • Die Linke wants a reinstated model that requires at‑door delivery of eviction complaints to reach vulnerable tenants and connect them to debt and tenant counseling.
  • Eralp criticized the current black‑red senate for not implementing the personal‑delivery project proposed under the previous government and pressed for rapid action.
  • New figures for municipal companies show terminations and executed evictions rose year over year (4,805 vs. 4,399 terminations; 541 vs. 479 evictions), which a senate report suggests may relate to the 2023 end of a prior moratorium.