© dpa
At least some rental flats in Berlin will not be able to be easily converted into owner-occupied flats in future either.
At its most recent meeting, the Berlin Senate passed a new conversion ordinance to this effect, as subsequently announced by Christian Gaebler (SPD), Senator for Urban Development and Building.
The previous ordinance expires in mid-March. The new one will apply immediately afterwards for a further five years in the 81 so-called social conservation areas. According to the building authorities, around a third of Berlin's population lives in these neighbourhoods. The extension of the ordinance is intended to secure affordable housing and protect the population structure in the neighbourhoods, said Gaebler. The conversion of rental flats into owner-occupied flats is one of the main reasons for the loss of affordable rental flats and the displacement of the resident population in these areas.
Berlin first introduced an authorisation requirement for the conversion of rental flats into condominiums in Berlin's social conservation areas in 2015 with the Conversion Ordinance. It was extended by five years in 2020.