The Linke party intends to continue its campaign against what it calls the self-proclaimed rental crisis by launching a new dedicated portal. This platform is intended to allow tenants of the Vonovia corporation to report deficiencies and violations.
Jan van Aken, the leader of the Linke, stated to RTL and ntv on Friday that his impression is that Vonovia’s actions are not due to errors or accidents, but are systematic. He accused the company of engaging in “false, illegal rent increases and incorrect heating cost accounting to make money and squeeze tenants”.
Van Aken warned that if complaints from a specific Vonovia development site start to pile up, the party will engage directly with the local residents to investigate the situation thoroughly, asserting, “and then we will take on Vonovia”. He pointed to Leipzig as an example, where pressure from state parliament members forced Vonovia to reimburse tenants. “In the end, Vonovia had to admit that they had lied, and the people finally received real money back” Van Aken explained. He concluded that Vonovia must fundamentally change its business practices, which he described as having “almost mafia-like structures”.
The party’s long-term goal is the nationalization and socialization of the corporation’s residential properties. However, he strongly criticized the €36 billion valuation for this transfer, calling it “completely fabricated”. Van Aken argued that the calculation should be based on realistic costs for construction and maintenance, not “fanciful market prices”. He added, “If you calculate that way, you arrive at much lower sums, and the money naturally comes back through the rents. That is a completely normal business”.
In Berlin specifically, the Linke aims to take over all approximately 138,000 Vonovia apartments. Van Aken expressed optimism regarding the September election, stating, “I assume that we will have a Linke mayor, and then Red-Red-Green will do exactly that in Berlin”.
Beyond the housing issue, the Linke leader is advocating for a nationwide rent cap, which he considers the most effective protection. He believes the Bundestag needs to decide on this measure and that pressure on both the SPD and the CDU will be necessary. He added that such activist actions also help. Despite the CDU currently opposing a rent cap, Van Aken is confident that “they will eventually have to introduce a rent cap, and the CDU knows this”.
