Housing Alliance: Agreement signed

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  Franziska Giffey (5th from left, SPD), Governing Mayor, and the representatives of some of the contracting parties at the signing of an agreement for a broad alliance for new construction and affordable housing.

• Franziska Giffey (SPD), Governing Mayor, signing an agreement for a broad alliance for new construction and affordable housing.

The Berlin Alliance for New Housing Construction and Affordable Housing has agreed on a number of measures to accelerate construction in Berlin and slow down the development of rents.

The participants of the alliance round signed a joint agreement on Monday in the Red City Hall. This includes representatives from politics, the housing industry and associations. The Berlin Tenants' Association and the Central Real Estate Committee (ZIA) had previously announced that they would not sign the 22-page declaration.

At least 100,000 new housing units by 2026

"We have achieved more than is even being discussed in other federal states," said Berlin's mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) on Monday at the presentation of the agreement. According to the agreement, at least 100,000 new flats are to be completed in Berlin by 2026. In future, development plans will be available within three years. At the same time, up to 5,000 social housing units are to be funded per year - 740 million euros have been earmarked for this in the budget for 2022 and 2023.

Self-commitment of private housing companies

In addition, the large private housing companies undertake to reserve 30 per cent of their flats for tenants entitled to a housing entitlement certificate (WBS) when re-letting. The alliance partners have also agreed that there should be no increases in the net cold rent that would lead to burdens of more than 30 per cent of the net household income for WBS-eligible households.