Berlin housing nationalisation would take time, Left candidate Eralp says

Elif Eralp says Berlin cannot bring large property companies into public ownership overnight. But the Left Party’s lead candidate for the state election wants work to begin on the first day of a government she leads.

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It is clear that nationalisation will take some time.

“It is clear that nationalisation will take some time,” Eralp said in an RBB interview. She said the proposal concerned only “the very large property companies that have more than 3,000 apartments.” The aim, she stressed, would not be to create new housing through nationalisation, but to keep existing homes affordable.

“If the city of Berlin has more influence over the rental market because more apartments belong to the city, then we can influence rents very strongly,” Eralp said. She added that nationalisation was only one part of the Left’s housing policy. The party also supports a rent cap for state-owned housing companies.

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It was never about creating new housing with this, but about keeping housing affordable.

Eralp said Berlin also needed to enforce existing rules. She pointed to large housing companies that repeatedly attract attention over allegedly illegal rent increases and called for a state tenants’ protection office to act against them. The office should also address illegal holiday apartments.

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If the city of Berlin has more influence over the rental market because more apartments belong to the city, then we can influence rents very strongly.

The candidate said she had been searching for a new apartment in Berlin herself for years without success. Asked about affordability, she said she could pay around 1,500 euros, but added that this was already a large sum and still made the current housing market difficult.

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We need a state tenants’ protection office that takes action against this.