Rent brake: The trick with the furnished apartment – Handelsblatt

Munich In German cities rental companies offer According to an analysis of more and more apartments furnished in order to bypass the rental rate brake. In Munich meanwhile accounted for 60 percent of all listings in furnished flats, four years ago there were only 35 percent, reported the “Sueddeutsche Zeitung” (Monday edition), citing an analysis by the consulting firm Empirica. In Stuttgart, the share increased over the same period accordingly from 34 to 61 percent, in Frankfurt from 31 to 40 percent.

The Institute Empirica recorded loud “SZ” monthly apartment listings on websites and in newspapers. Rooms in shared apartments are not considered. The analysis of the furnished apartments manufactured the company on behalf of newspaper

Germany’s rental market. In the country’s more for your money

• Around 95 square meters an apartment that the Germans can afford on average for a quarter of their household income is. This is the result of a study by the Institute of the German Economy (IW) in Cologne. Contrary to the bad news that are reported regularly about rising rents from large cities, are the two square meters more than six years ago.

• the rents have increased, according to IW in the past six years by 10.2 percent. Particularly dramatic is the increase in Berlin with 26 percent, in Munich with 14 percent, in Cologne with 13 percent and in Hamburg with twelve percent. However, the average rent is only in 20 of 402 districts across nine euros per square meter, in Germany you pay on average 6.90 euros. In relation to income are the IW-clear: Because these rose by 11.5 percent over the same period, people can in many places afford larger homes
  

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• The IW speaks of a “real boom in demand” in metropolitan areas and university towns. After Berlin further 240,000 people have moved since of 2010. The high rents in Munich have anyone quenched: Thither attracted 140,000 people. Due to the higher demand housing is scarce, and not only the real estate prices, but also the rents rise in these areas.
  

• “25 percent of disposable income we see as a reasonable level for a rent burden,” says Ralph Henger, IW economist with a focus on financial and real estate markets. “It becomes critical when more than a third of the income is used for the rent.”

• In rural areas. Most living space an average household in Bavaria Dingolfing-Landau or in Lüchow-Dannenberg can afford (Lower Saxony), where a quarter of the income of 120 square meters is enough. This shows the comparison of housing costs and disposable income of the IW.

• This is especially true for the university towns. There is not only the demand is high, the income of the students are also usually lower. In Trier, Freiburg, Heidelberg and Würzburg is the apartment size, which can rent there for 25 percent of the average income people, with only 60 square meters. Also closely it is in big cities like Berlin, Munich and Hamburg, where the money is enough for about 70 square meters.

• No. According to the calculations of the IW Charges 2010-2016 increased by only seven percent. Reason is the decline in heating costs in the past two years.

• Initial studies suggest that the introduced 2015 regime no effect so far shows. “The Rent brake is classic in our eyes symbolic politics,” said Henger. “It works – if at all – only weakly, and not even in the right direction.” Similarly, the looks of the owners association Home & amp; Reason: “It has since knitted a very bad law, which does not affect the front and back.” And even when Mieterbund you see no effect. “In large cities and metropolitan areas, price increases can not be explained if the rental price brake would grab,” says a spokesman for the tenants Bunds.
  

• the experts of the IW rather go out the opposite. “Without the influx of refugees in the past year, the dynamics would have even declined in Germany,” Henger says about the development of rental rates. “The construction activity picks up.” Until that however has an impact, it often takes three to five years. Although the Mieterbund assumes that refugees make so far only partially in the housing market noticeable. According to his estimates, however, are missing in Germany 800 000. Flats. In the short term we see no change.

Furnished apartments are therefore more expensive rented as apartments without means. So would cost a furnished residence in Munich on average 26.28 euros cold rent per square meter. Apartments without means would be offered to an average of 16.26 euros, reported the “Süddeutsche”. In Stuttgart, the average rent is accordingly at 22.02 euros instead 11.81 euros in Frankfurt at 20.70 euros instead of 13.11 euros.

Those who rents apartments furnished, may on the customary comparative rent out a furnishing surcharge demand whose height is not at a flat rate. Tenants’ associations criticize tenant furnished apartments could much more difficult to find out if the amount of their rent is justified or not.

Rent brake A law fails

the Rent brake is in the expensive cities tenants before protect soaring rents. Researchers come after a year now the result. Instead of helping, the brakes may even cause the opposite more …

In addition, many furnished apartments only be temporarily rented, about to businessmen who need a hotel for only a few weeks or months. In this case, the rental rate brake does not apply.