Still no agreement on the Berlin rent index

In April, the District Court of Spandau issued a ruling on the 2021 Berlin rent index in which demands for rent increases were rejected. The judges ruled that the 2021 Berlin rent index did not fulfil the criteria of a “qualified rent index”. The case related to the second consecutive update to the index, which was deemed invalid. The District Court of Wedding, on the other hand, issued a ruling in support of the 2021 index. Two such contradictory judgements in such a short space of time have created legal uncertainty – and dented confidence in the rent index. Without a valid index, the rental price brake (Mietpreisbremse) cannot be applied. The IVD criticised the legal foundations of the latest update to the rent index as early as 2021. Even with the District Court of Wedding approving the 2021 rent index, the question remains as to how the state of Berlin can produce a lawful and reliable rent index in years to come.