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Study finds Berlin expropriation feasible

11m

A study by union-aligned economists found Die Linke’s plan to expropriate large Berlin housing companies would be financially feasible, intensifying debate over solutions to the city's housing crisis.

The Guardian
Berlin’s new political star is offering something all of Europe needs – hope and housing | Fatma Aydemir

Elif Eralp wants lower rents and more public housing. It’s not rocket science but mainstream parties still don’t get why they are failing Hope is a fragile thing. You can only hold on to it as long as you find reasons to believe tomorrow can be better. A woman, for instance, who has the resources and opportunity to rent her own flat will be more likely to leave her abusive husband and recover. A pupil who has their own room and desk to do their homework might find more meaning in thriving at school. And an elderly person who can afford to live in a neighbourhood where they feel safe and connected is less likely to become isolated and depressed. It’s not by chance that the examples above all revolve around the same topic. Affordable housing is possibly the most personal and most urgent social issue of our time. In Berlin, a city where 85% of residents live in rented accommodation, rents have risen by almost 70% in the past 10 years. And that is despite a rent control law that has been in effect since 2015. How? Loopholes and illegal practices have allowed property owners to continue putting pressure on the housing market. The social anxiety caused by this crisis, far from affecting just low-earners and single-parent households, affects vast parts of the middle class, too. Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based author, novelist, playwright and a Guardian Europe columnist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading. . .

Berlin’s new political star is offering something all of Europe needs – hope and housing | Fatma Aydemir
Reposts 0 10h

by Alessandro Rigolon

5%
alerigolon.bsky.social
It just occurred to me that saying "no" to more housing options means, in reality, that you're advocating for fewer housing options. That's pretty telling.
September 24, 2026 at 9:54 PM

by Nikolai Huke

14%
nihuke.bsky.social
"In addition, there are serious structural constraints arising from Berlin’s chronic financial difficulties. This situation is further aggravated by Germany’s broader failure to adequately tax wealth and corporate profits, which in turn creates systemic pressure toward austerity policies."
September 24, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Berlin after the election: My son has a campaign program – it starts with the price of ice cream

My eleven-year-old son asks whether our apartment will be expropriated. I explain to him what Die Linke means by socialization, and I think about the costs. For his own party, the funding question is easier to settle.

Berlin after the election: My son has a campaign program – it starts with the price of ice cream
Reposts 0 20h

by Timothy D. McBride

37%
mcbridetd.bsky.social
POLITICO Policy Outlook: Housing Affordability www.politico.com/politicohous...
LIVESTREAM – POLITICO Policy Outlook: Housing Affordability
www.politico.com
September 24, 2026 at 12:28 PM

by Nikolai Huke

14%
nihuke.bsky.social
"A wave of 'red scare' rhetoric aimed at [...] discouraging the Greens and the SPD from forming a coalition". I was interviewed by Istanbul-based journalist Leyla Nehir about the Berlin election and Germany's current authoritarian conjuncture: leylanehir.substack.com/p/berlin-202...
Berlin 2026: The Rise of Die Linke and the New Political Divide in Germany
An open-access interview with Dr. Nikolai Huke on the Berlin election, the rise of the left and right, and the social and economic forces reshaping Germany.
leylanehir.substack.com
September 24, 2026 at 12:14 PM
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