© dpa
Since its inception around a year ago, the Mietpreisprüfstelle (rent control office) set up by the Berlin Senate has identified numerous cases of excessive rents.
320 of 339 rents reviewed between April and December 2025, or 94 percent, were unlawfully above the level of the local comparative rent. This was announced by the Senate Department for Housing.
In 222 cases alone, the consultants found that the rent exceeded the local comparative rent by more than 50 percent. This raises the suspicion of so-called extortionate rents, which can be a criminal offense. In 82 cases, the rent was between 20 and 50 percent above the level of typical rents according to the rent index. Such excesses are considered excessive rent and can be punished as an administrative offense with fines of up to 50,000 euros.
In 16 contracts examined by the agency's experts, the rent was between 10 and 20 percent above the local comparative rent. This may constitute a violation of the rent control law, according to which the rent for re-letting may not exceed the rent index by more than 10 percent. Only 19 of the rental contracts examined - i.e., six percent - were within the permissible range.
Anyone who feels they are paying too much rent can contact the rent assessment office. Experts provide advice over the phone or in person, and in many cases they also review rental agreements. The service is free of charge. The office now has three locations. If excessive or even extortionate rents are suspected, the office informs the relevant district authority, which is then required to investigate. If the suspicion is confirmed, the districts can, for example, impose a fine on the landlord in question or, in the case of usurious rents, involve the public prosecutor's office. Affected tenants can also take legal action against their landlord themselves.