© dpa
Several district offices want to better support those affected by owner-occupier terminations with advice and information in future.
Together with the Berlin Tenants' Association, information and discussion events are to be held as part of this project and new studies and expert opinions commissioned, as the districts announced. The district offices of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Mitte, Neukölln and Pankow are involved.
With the further investigations, the districts want to get a better overview of the problematic situation regarding apartment conversions and find out how they can take action against this. "Many people are being forced out of their homes and their social environment by owner-occupier terminations," it said. According to the offices, they want to tackle and stop the resulting housing shortage. "To date, there has been too little protection against owner-occupancy purchases," said Ulrike Hamann-Onnertz from the Berlin Tenants' Association. "We are working together with the districts and initiatives to change this." The kick-off event for the new project is on February 10 in the Kiezraum on the Dragoner-Areal in Kreuzberg.