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All information about rent increases
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Based on the cooperation agreement "Affordable rents, new housing construction and social housing provision", which the state-owned housing companies, including HOWOGE, have currently concluded with the Berlin Senate, we have been sending successive letters to our tenant households since January 1, 2024. In these letters, we ask for your consent to a rent adjustment (as regulated in Section 558 of the German Civil Code). We have compiled all the essential information for you below.
Important online forms
Click here to check your eligibility for the promise of affordability.
Questions and answers about rent increases
In 2023, the Berlin Senate and the state-owned housing companies jointly concluded the cooperation agreement "Affordable Rents, New Housing Construction, and Social Housing Provision." This cooperation agreement replaced the previously applicable regulations and entered into force on January 1, 2024. It regulates, among other things, the amount of rent increases that can be imposed by the state-owned housing companies. The cooperation agreement can be found here .
The "Affordable Rents, New Housing Construction, and Social Housing Provision" (Cooperation Agreement) followed on from and replaced the previous cooperation agreement. It applies from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2027, to the rental housing stocks of all state-owned housing companies in Berlin, including HOWOGE.
HOWOGE ensures that rents for existing leases do not increase by more than 2.9% annually. The 2.9% maximum rent increase therefore applies to HOWOGE's entire portfolio. This means that rent adjustments can therefore reach up to 11% within three years, according to the Alliance for "New Housing Construction and Affordable Rents" (June 2022).
The affordability promise ensures that the burden on each household due to the net rent does not exceed 27% of their household income. This affordability limit was deliberately reduced from 30% to 27% of their net household income with the new cooperation agreement. If you, as a tenant, wish to make use of this, it is important to note that the income and living space limits required for a housing eligibility certificate (WBS) must not be exceeded, even if you rented your apartment without a WBS. You can find an overview of the WBS requirements here . If you would like to submit such an application, please send an email to kundenzentrum@howoge.de , stating your rental agreement number and the keyword "Affordability Promise," or request an affordability check on our website .
The cooperation agreement, with its affordability promise, specifies a maximum increase based on living space. These are as follows:
- Living space of up to 65 sqm => max. 50 Euro increase / month
- Living space of up to 100 sqm => max. 75 Euro increase / month
- Living space of up to 125 sqm => max. 100 Euro increase / month
HOWOGE's announced rent increases are below these limits. Further information on the affordability promise can be foundhere .
Rent increases maintain HOWOGE's financial viability and ensure the high quality of life in our neighborhoods. Why is this? HOWOGE renovates apartments and houses, invests in livable neighborhoods, contributes to climate protection goals, and builds housing that this city so desperately needs. For all these services that HOWOGE provides for Berlin and its tenants, prices, such as those for building materials and personnel costs, have risen sharply.
During the energy crisis, a so-called rent freeze was imposed. In previous years, rents were even reduced in some cases due to rent caps and rent dimmers.
The rent increase announced as part of the cooperation agreement will slightly improve HOWOGE's economic viability, while at the same time not overburdening you as a tenant.
Yes, you must sign the enclosed consent form and return it to HOWOGE within the deadline. You can also do this conveniently on our website . Simply changing the standing order is not sufficient!
You can conveniently send this declaration by email with the keyword "Consent Declaration" as an attachment to kundenzentrum@howoge.de or by mail to the following address: PO Box 10 03 19, 57003 Siegen. Alternatively, you can fill out our form here on the website, where you can upload a photo of the signed consent declaration.
Important! Please DO NOT drop the declaration into the caretaker's mailbox or the mailbox of a customer service center.
First and foremost, it is important that you contact us quickly – together we will find a solution!
Please contact us using the appropriate form on our website, stating your rental agreement number and the keyword "affordability promise," or by email to kundenzentrum@howoge.de , also stating your rental agreement number and the keyword "affordability promise."
If you meet all the requirements for the affordability promise, the net rent will be reduced to a maximum of 27% of your household income.
The following applies:
The income and living space limits are derived from the cooperation agreement in conjunction with the Berlin Housing Supply Act:
- Income up to 220 percent of the federal income limits
1. Maximum permissible living space per household size
Single-person household: max. 45 m²
Two-person household: max. 60 m²
Three-person household: max. 75 m²
Four-person household: max. 85 m²
Each additional person: plus 12 m²
If the apartment exceeds the above-mentioned size for the corresponding number of people in the household, a rent limit based on the affordability promise is only possible if special circumstances exist. These could include, for example, the recent death of a partner, or the apartment's unique layout, which requires the use of a larger living space. In such cases, the limits can be exceeded by up to 20%.
2. maximum permissible net household income per year
The Berlin income limits apply. The relevant income is the total assessable income of the household. This is determined after the application has been submitted in accordance with Sections 20 to 24 of the Housing Promotion Act. Housing benefit and similar benefits to reduce rent burdens are included in the calculation of the income limits. The following limits for the total income of the tenant household may not be exceeded:
Single-person household: €26,400
Two-person household: €39,600
plus for each additional person in the household: €9,020
Supplement for each child belonging to the household: €1,100
Further information can be found on the Senate Administration website.
First, we need your written consent to the rent increase. Once we have received this and it's stored in our system, you can request a current rent breakdown or one valid from January 1, 2025, here . Please have your rental agreement number ready and use "Rent breakdown" in the subject line.
In summary:
- Sign and return the consent form
- Apply for a new rental structure here on the website using the keyword “rental structure” and stating your rental agreement number.
Offer of the advisory centre for all tenants of the state-owned housing companies
HOWOGE tenants who would like advice on affordability promises or rent increases based on the Cooperation Agreement (KoopV) and the Berlin Housing Supply Act (WoVG Bln) have been able to contact a newly created ombudsman's office since March 2024.
The ombudsman's office is an advisory office for alltenants of the state-owned housing companiesin Berlin. It provides information about the existing regulations and, if necessary, supports communication with the state-owned housing companies. In the event of a conflict, an arbitration procedure can be carried out.
More information can be found here.