Berlin caps the rents - does it work?

If you mean buildings constructed from 2009 onwards, then we're talking about 10% or so of the stock. Sure, we are in a new building forum, but the focus of this topic is mainly on the 90% "existing stock".

Usually, such a high demand would also attract investors. Is Berlin saturated, and if so, why doesn't it grow? Is there no more land in the surrounding area that can be designated as building land? Are the planners asleep? The large residential landlords in Berlin were supposed to be expropriated as well. A joke, if you ask me. Who is supposed to take over the work quickly? Recently, in Munich, there was talk of expropriating farmers in the surrounding area to create building land. A chaos. That’s not nice. I am more in favor of first developing all the areas lying fallow because of speculators, etc. A building obligation is possible even for single-family houses, so why not for multi-family houses?

Growing? No more land in the surrounding area that can be declared building land? Are the planners asleep?
The big housing landlords

There is no will to designate building land. See Tempelhof Airport. The planners in the authorities are overburdened and overwhelmed (BER anyone?). Construction companies are hard to come by, skilled workers are lacking everywhere. And when something is built, it is generally considered too expensive by the senate and immediately labeled as "luxury" that "does not help with the housing shortage." Luxury because, for example, it has an elevator, underfloor heating, and parquet flooring. Unfortunately, you can practically no longer build a multi-family house in a big city for under 4000 euros/m2, and to attract buyers for it, you need this "luxury." Because whether it's 3800 or 4000 euros/m2 is rather irrelevant to the buyer group of owner-occupied condominiums. But underfloor heating and a loggia must be there!

And if you buy such an apartment, it is only for own use, because whether the 12 to 16 euros/m2 cold rent actually demanded at these prices can really be achieved by politics in Berlin is increasingly questionable.

In Munich, there was recently talk of expropriating farmers in the surrounding area to create building land. A chaos. That’s not nice.
I am more in favor of first developing all the areas that lie fallow due to speculators, etc. A construction obligation is also possible with single-family houses,

A construction obligation is legally only possible if the land/city itself sells building land and has this written into the notarial contract. It can hardly be enforced in the existing stock, and at the latest at the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe it would probably be stopped. Otherwise, the municipalities could at least charge higher taxes and fees on this fallow land.

I don't know how it is in Berlin, but here in DD there are still plenty of apartments for refugees. However, these are not the ones the families want. What is missing are the nicely located new buildings with a 5-minute walk to school, work, and shopping centers. But building those costs more than 8 euros in rent.

Exactly, that is the problem! "Normal people" no longer want anything to do with social housing; those who previously lived in the affordable neighborhoods have been displaced by the new "underclass." The displacement then goes through all social strata, forcing the somewhat better-off into luxury apartments they actually cannot/will not afford, and finally the wealthy into a competition for a few building plots and condominiums.

The shortage at the very bottom pushes everyone into the next higher category/neighborhoods, making it more expensive for EVERYONE in the end. Or does anyone believe that the x million (I won’t argue about the number here, everyone can trust their preferred source) migrants will live permanently in gymnasiums and container settlements?

So you mean, rents in the cities are rising so exorbitantly because of the influx of 3 million migrants, all of whom also have their rent paid by the welfare office? I would have my doubts about that. Especially whether those are the apartments that are demanded and missing on the market. I don’t know how it is in Berlin, but here in DD there are still plenty of apartments for refugees. But those are not the ones families want. What is missing are the nicely located new buildings within a 5-minute walk to school, work, and shopping centers. Building those costs more than 8 euros in rent.

I have customers here who have been waiting for years for an apartment that is appropriate.

I have customers here who have been waiting for years for an apartment that is appropriate.

What is appropriate? And where is "here"?

What is appropriate? And where is "here"?

400€ cold rent for one person in Berlin - Appropriate rent according to SGB II Deviations upward + 20% if from homelessness or a dormitory