After much wrangling at the traffic lights, the extension of the rent cap is now making progress. Politically linked to this is a project to store communications data for investigations.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) is proposing an extension of the rent cap until the end of 2028. His ministry submitted the corresponding draft bill to the departmental vote within the traffic light government. It is available to the German Press Agency; the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” first reported it. An extension “until 2029” was agreed in the coalition agreement.
At the same time, a draft for the storage of certain communication data for investigative purposes also went to departmental coordination. The traffic light linked the issues that were controversial within the coalition. This draft is also available to the dpa and was first reported by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. No data retention is planned, but rather the so-called “quick freeze process”. The data is only saved if there is suspicion of a crime of significant importance – such as murder or manslaughter.
Traffic light dispute caused delay
A compromise on the two issues had already been announced in April. Afterwards, there was a new dispute about rent controls, and the projects did not make any further progress.
In tight housing markets, the rent cap ensures that the rent when a new rental agreement is concluded can in principle not be more than ten percent above the local comparative rent. It currently runs until the end of 2025. The respective state government decides whether the rent cap applies in certain areas. You must also justify an application.
If it is to apply repeatedly in a certain area, the draft now provides for higher requirements for justification. The new requirements should ensure that the extension of the rent control can withstand constitutional review, the Ministry of Justice said.
Source: Stern
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