The German Social Democratic Party (SPD) proposes to collect health‑ and nursing‑care contributions from the rent of private apartments. According to the owners’ association Haus & Grund, this could lead to noticeable rent increases. Based on several calculations cited by the Bild newspaper, the implementation of the plan could raise rents by as much as 15 percent.
Haus & Grund’s president, Kai Warnecke, explained that most private landlords earn only a marginal return of about two percent on their properties. “The additional contribution that would amount to 15 percent is simply unaffordable for them” he said. Warnecke added that imposing extra charges on rents inevitably raises the cost of living: “That is simple mathematics”.
On the other side, Hendrik Bollmann, the SPD’s spokesperson for housing policy in the Bundestag, dismissed the warning of higher rents. He told the Bild that the party would “create the foundations so that in appropriate concepts no additional burden may be passed onto the tenants”. He stressed that tenant protection is a “top priority” for the SPD.
