Berlin tenants undaunted by recent court ruling that undoes a rent cap

Jenny Stupka’s rent for her house share in the Wedding district of Berlin rose by 40% in under six years.

The price hikes suddenly halted after the Berlin state government introduced a rent cap in 2019.

But Germany’s constitutional court ruled last week that since the federal government already had laws in place regulating the rental sector, the Berlin state’s rent freeze bill infringed on those laws.

Now, Stupka faces not only a surge in her monthly rent, but also back payments to her landlord for the time the cap was in place. The change in law means almost half of Stupka’s salary will soon go to rent, she said.