An initiative in Berlin wants to expropriate housing groups, the final phase for a referendum is underway. The Greens supported the project at their party congress.
The Berlin Greens are in favor of the “Deutsche Wohnen & Co expropriate” initiative for expropriating housing groups. At their party congress, the delegates supported the goal of the referendum, which has been running since February, by a large majority. In a resolution on the party program for the House of Representatives election on September 26th, it was stated that “qualitative criteria” had to be drawn up for the question of which companies are eligible for expropriation. “We are critical of the discussion about purely quantitative upper limits,” it said.
The “Deutsche Wohnen & Co expropriate” – an initiative for a referendum on the expropriation of larger real estate companies in Berlin – demands from politicians to socialize all real estate companies with more than 3,000 apartments in the state of Berlin. The initiative does not want to nationalize it, but rather to transfer its holdings to an institution under public law, which is controlled by tenants and representatives of urban society.
The aim is to stop the rise in rents. On February 26, the alliance started a collection of signatures for the referendum , which could lead to a referendum. This would take place parallel to the election of the House of Representatives.
The SPD is against expropriations, the left is for it
The guiding principle “property obliges” laid down in the Basic Law must also be enforced in the area of housing and land, it is now said in the Green election manifesto. The key is to protect tenants, put a stop to speculation and increase the proportion of the housing stock that is oriented towards the common good to 50 percent.
“We would like the circumstances not to force us to use socialization as a last resort in order to be able to fulfill the constitutional mandate,” said the Greens. “If housing companies refuse to meet their social responsibility, the public sector, supported by a referendum, will defuse the tense situation on the housing market with this step.”
The Berlin SPD is strictly against expropriations. The Left is in favor and actively supports the collection of signatures. The Greens decision could intensify the conflict within the red-red-green coalition and call into question a continuation of the alliance.