The courtyard at Franz-Mehring-Platz 1 is packed, the mood buoyant. But this is no ordinary awards ceremony. Tonight, Berlin’s most outrageous landlord is being crowned. Six prizes are up for grabs, although the event is about far more than that. “We’re currently experiencing an acute housing crisis in Berlin,” says Niklas Schenker, Die Linke’s housing policy spokesperson in the state parliament. “What we’re dealing with here is a rent mafia systematically ripping people off.” Far-fetched? Not really. Tenant groups have been raising the alarm for
years. Berlin is short by up to 100,000 flats, and the gap keeps widening. New construction isn’t even close to keeping up with demand, while affordable housing continues to disappear. The result is a brutally tight market where competition is fierce and prices keep climbing. The problem has escalated in recent years. At the end of May, the new 2026 rent index showed a stark reality: net cold rents have risen by nearly 7% compared to the previous two years. Public housing hasn’t fared much
better. “Since Kai Wegner took office, rents for almost all of the city’s 400,000 publicly owned flats have gone up by as much as 11%. People feel that directly in their wallets,” Schenker continues. Tenants On the Brink Schenker sees the crisis up close. At his weekly tenant consultation hours, six to eight people show up each time, each with their own story. What he hears sounds less like policy debate and more like social emergency: people unsure whether they can still afford their flats
next month and people ashamed of having to fight their landlords. “Many experience this as an extremely precarious situation,” he says. Demand for these consultations keeps growing. “Even though I offer them weekly, they’re often booked out weeks in advance.” Over the past three years, he’s organised around 40 tenant assemblies across the city. Together, they paint a clear picture: Berlin’s housing crisis isn’t easing. It’s getting worse. That’s exactly why this awards ceremony exists. It’s about visibility. “For far too long, you’ve been doing
your valuable work quietly,” jokes comedian Jean-Philippe Kindler, who hosts the evening. “Tonight, we finally get to honour you.” The crowd laughs, then things turn serious as the first category is announced. The Night’s ‘Winners’ Anyone could nominate a landlord. On Schenker’s website, tenants submit their stories and put forward candidates. The response has been overwhelming. “We’re hearing from an incredible number of tenants with their personal experiences,” he says. The winners aren’t chosen for isolated scandals, but for systematic behaviour. The event may be
satirical, but its aim is serious: “We want to build a sense of solidarity where tenants can share their stories and make them visible.” Many tenants live in precarious conditions that they feel ashamed of, and Schenker makes it clear that needs to change. “Eighty-five percent of Berliners rent. If we organise, no landlord can stop us.” What we’re dealing with here is a rent mafia systematically ripping people off. The first ‘winner’ is Heimstaden, a Swedish real estate giant that’s been making headlines in
Berlin for years. Just six months ago, the company was forced to withdraw hundreds of unlawful rent demands. Tenants had reported exorbitant increases. “Heimstaden exploits, to some extent, the lack of knowledge among newcomers to Berlin,” says Schenker. “That’s why they’ve definitely earned this award.” Other stories are less about greed than neglect. One concerns Adler Group, which owns around 17,000 flats in Berlin. Complaints have been mounting, particularly about severe mould infestations. The company already ‘won’ an award at the last ceremony 18 months
ago. A similar situation is happening at Hafenplatz in Kreuzberg, where many flats belong to Hedera. The company is currently under investigation by Berlin prosecutors for a number of alleged violations, including on suspicion of delaying insolvency. “Hedera wanted to demolish the entire block and replace it with more expensive housing,” Schenker explains. “When that didn’t work, they started systematically neglecting the properties.” Tenants have been organising for over a year, with little to show for it. The Logic of a System Then comes Arcadia
Estates. The company owns, among other properties, a large prefabricated housing complex on Habersaathstraße in Mitte. The residents’ story takes centre stage this evening. For years, Arcadia has tried to demolish the building to make way for luxury developments, sparking repeated conflicts. “On several occasions, mafia-like groups were sent into the building, destroying almost everything that wasn’t nailed down, even though tenants with valid contracts still live there,” says Schenker. The final awards go to two familiar names. Vonovia, dubbed “the head of the rent
mafia in Berlin” by Schenker, is singled out for its utility bills. One tenant reports a heating bill top-up of nearly €6,000 for 2022. The last ‘honour’ goes to none other than Mayor Kai Wegner, who receives a lifetime achievement award. “The CDU is the party of landlords,” says Schenker. “Kai Wegner doesn’t represent the interests of the 85% who rent; he represents the interests of the very few who profit from it.” As expected, none of the winners show up to collect their trophies.
A speaker delivers the closing words: “Kai Wegner, we’re not going to be screwed over,” she shouts into the mic. The crowd cheers. The issue is likely to gain even more traction in Berlin in the coming months. On September 20, the city will elect a new state parliament, and housing is already shaping up to be a central battleground. What kind of solutions will be promised by then remains to be seen. For Schenker, though, the situation is clear. “We need to break the
power of the big housing corporations,” he says. Otherwise, nothing in Berlin will ever really change.
Berlin housing crisis, rent index 2026, Niklas Schenker, Die Linke, Heimstaden, Adler Group, Hedera, Arcadia Estates, Vonovia, Kai Wegner, tenant consultations, mould infestations, prosecutors investigation