Buschmann: SPD puts the brakes on extending the rent freeze
Already in April, the traffic light coalition agreed on an extension of the rent cap beyond 2025. Fine-tuning should be made, but a decisive point needs to be clarified from the SPD's perspective.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann accuses the SPD of delaying the planned extension of the rent cap. "I'm wondering why the SPD side is now raising new demands to delay the rent cap," said the FDP politician to the "Rheinische Post." In his opinion, a timely cabinet decision is possible.
The traffic light coalition agreed in April to extend the rent cap beyond 2025. The rent cap ensures that the rent at the conclusion of a new lease agreement is generally not more than ten percent above the local comparative rent. Whether the rent cap applies in specific regions is decided by the respective state government. Part of the coalition agreement was also a compromise on the storage of communication data for investigative purposes ("Quick-Freeze-Procedure").
"Both drafts are currently at the Chancellery for final clarification in the coalition," said Buschmann. "There is still a need for approval on certain technical points."
SPD parliamentary group vice-chair Dirk Wiese announced in May that during the legislative procedure on the rent cap, he would focus on "making it effective." Concretely, he demanded a change in the regulation that the rent cap has not applied to new buildings since October 2014, which were first used. "This exception from the rent cap should be raised from 2014 to 2024," he said at the time to the "Rheinische Post."
The SPD is urging for finer adjustments in the extension of the rent cap beyond 2025, a point of contention within the traffic light coalition. Despite this, Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann criticizes the SPD for potentially delaying the implementation of rent control, citing the need for a timely government decision.
