Berlin Left wants socialization of large housing corporations to become coalition condition

The demand fits into the debate about affordable housing in the capital, where high rents and a tight housing market have shaped political discussions for years. In several federal states, regulations are currently being examined that could facilitate access to housing stocks of large corporations. The socialization of housing is provided for as a possibility in Article 15 of the Basic Law, but has so far not been applied at the federal level.

Background: Debate about affordable housing

Ahead of the House of Representatives election on September 20, the parties are campaigning with different housing policy concepts. The Berlin Left evidently wants to make the issue of socialization a core brand of its election campaign. Schwerdtner pointed out that the corresponding program is part of the resolutions of the state party. Whether the demand for socialization could be enforced in possible coalition negotiations with other parties initially remained open.

The housing policy position of the Left has met with divided resonance in the capital for years. While tenant associations and initiatives for affordable housing support parts of the demands, the real estate industry and parts of the established parties express constitutional and economic concerns. Socializations under Article 15 of the Basic Law require a regulated compensation procedure, which in practice entails high legal hurdles.

Reactions and legal hurdles

Schwerdtner appeared self-confident outwardly when presenting the program. With the announcement of making socialization a coalition condition, the Berlin Left is sending an early political signal ahead of the election. Observers interpret this as an attempt to sharpen the party's profile in the left-wing spectrum and at the same time to put pressure on possible coalition partners who have so far not committed to socialization.

The Berlin House of Representatives election on September 20 is regarded as a barometer of the political mood in the capital. Polls have most recently seen the Left in an environment that does not exclude but also does not necessarily provide for coalition formation without it. With the pre-commitment to socialization as a condition, the party is raising the stakes for possible negotiations.

Outlook on the election campaign

Legally, socialization of large housing corporations would only be possible on the basis of a corresponding state law, which in turn requires a resolution of the House of Representatives. Which corporations exactly would be affected by socialization and how compensation would be calculated, Schwerdtner left open in the announcement so far. The party has so far spoken of compensation without naming concrete sums or models.

The debate fits into a series of housing policy initiatives in several major German cities. In Hamburg, for example, a referendum on the socialization of large housing stocks failed in 2021 due to the quorum. In Berlin, the Left had previously supported the referendum „Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen", which was accepted by a majority in 2021 but failed due to insufficient participation. The experiences from these proceedings still shape the discussion today about the legal and organizational requirements of an expropriation.

Schwerdtner reiterated that the Berlin Left would stick to the programmatic line. „Das kann ich Ihnen sehr sicher sagen" – with this statement, the parliamentary group leader underscored the determination of the state party to maintain socialization as a condition for coalition formation. Whether other parties will adopt this position is expected to become clear in the weeks before the election and in possible exploratory talks after the election day.

The Left's announcement came at a stage when the parties are largely presenting their election programs for the House of Representatives election. The housing policy positions are likely to play a central role in the election campaign, as the rent development in Berlin has been considered one of the most pressing problems of the city for years. With socialization as a coalition condition, the Left is sending a clear signal in the direction of a left-wing majority after September 20.