Around 1.5 million Berlin households are to be protected from excessive rent increases in the coming years. On Tuesday, the Senate extended a regulation according to which the rents in existing contracts may be increased by a maximum of 15 percent within three years up to the local comparative rent. According to the Senate administration, this so-called capping limit has been in effect since 2018 and would have expired this year - the extension applies for a further five years until 2028.

The Berlin Senate is using an option for the tenant protection measure that the federal government, which is actually responsible for rent law, has granted to the federal states. You can identify areas with what is known as a tight housing market where the cap applies.

Additional protective mechanisms are in place for around 350,000 tenants of municipal apartments in Berlin. A moratorium will apply to them until the end of this year, which will largely prevent rent increases.