Overview
- Cold rents for about 1.4 million non‑price‑regulated apartments would be frozen from a cut‑off date, with future increases limited to inflation and exemptions for municipal providers, cooperatives, small landlords with up to two units, and new builds.
- Housing companies would face caps on profit distributions, and landlords would be required to reinvest surpluses in maintenance, renovation, or new construction.
- The SPD plans a statute to operationalize Article 15 of the Basic Law as the legal basis for rent and profit caps, has commissioned a legal opinion, and is preparing amendments to the housing security law for Senate submission.
- Landlords would receive a "Vergesellschaftungsabschlag" for lost income that is unlikely to cover 100% of losses, with SPD budget estimates putting annual state costs at roughly €300 million.
- Further steps under review include a sales ban for residential property, state pre‑emptive purchase with price limits tied to the previous price plus inflation, and possible bans on index or step rents and owner‑occupation terminations, sharpening contrasts with Die Linke’s expropriation push amid tight public finances reported by taz.