2026 Berlin Election: A Comparison of the Parties’ Housing Policies

CDU: Building more and making it easier to become a homeowner

The CDU aims to create 100,000 new flats by 2031. A standardised ‘Berlin-MFH’ with standardised construction methods is intended to enable faster and more cost-effective building.

Unused land and buildings are to be put to better use. The CDU supports a ‘Property Tax C’ for plots ready for development and wants to make it easier to convert commercial properties for residential, office or cultural uses. It also remains committed to developing the outskirts of Tempelhofer Feld.

The party places particular emphasis on home ownership. For the first-time purchase of an owner-occupied property, there is to be a home ownership bonus of €10,000 per adult and €5,000 per child. This is complemented by tax relief and rent-to-buy schemes.

In principle, the role of private investors is to be strengthened. Expropriation is strictly rejected.

SPD: Plenty of new builds, greater public influence

The SPD has also set itself the target of 100,000 new homes by 2031. More than half of the new builds are to be carried out by state-owned companies, co-operatives and other actors working in the public interest.

At the same time, stricter requirements are to apply to private projects. Under the cooperative building land model, the SPD wants to increase the social housing quota from 30 to 50 per cent. Construction is to be accelerated through, amongst other things, simpler procedures, Building Type E and faster development plans. Office conversions, adding storeys to existing buildings and previously underused plots of land also play a role.

On rents, the SPD is calling for tighter controls. A new rent regulatory body is to investigate and penalise breaches. Furthermore, the party is advocating a legally secure rent cap and stricter rules on index-linked rents.

Grüne: Build more affordably, regulate more strictly

The Greens explicitly identify high construction costs and, in some cases, excessively high building standards as obstacles. Type approvals, digital planning applications and more cost-effective standards are intended to facilitate new builds and refurbishments.

At the same time, they want to regulate the housing market more strictly. Under an ‘Affordable Rents Act’, landlords with more than 50 flats would be obliged, amongst other things, to provide a proportion of affordable housing and to set aside maintenance reserves. Far-reaching sanctions are envisaged for breaches.

The programme also focuses on commercial property. The party views rising commercial rents as a threat to small businesses, local service providers and social and cultural institutions. Land owned by the state is to be used more extensively for housing construction in the public interest.

Die Linke: More state intervention in the housing market

Die Linke is the party most strongly committed to public control of the housing market. A one-year rent cap is to apply initially to state-owned flats, after which rents are to rise by no more than one per cent per year. The party envisages up to two billion euros annually for municipal housing construction.

A central component of the planned housing policy is the expropriation of private property owners. State-owned land is to remain in public hands permanently.

Commercial premises also form part of the party’s urban development policy. Small businesses and craft enterprises are to be better protected against displacement, and municipal business parks are to be expanded.

FDP: Mobilising land, scaling back regulation

The FDP places strong emphasis on private investment. It rejects rent caps and socialisation, and also wants to end the rent control scheme.

More construction is to be achieved through infill development, taller buildings, roof extensions and easier conversion of vacant commercial, office and retail spaces into flats.

The FDP’s land policy differs significantly from that of the left-wing parties: state-owned building plots should once again be sold on the market, with the land value determined on the basis of the highest bid. Building groups, co-operatives and private owner-occupiers are to be supported by the IBB when purchasing property.

AfD: Fewer regulations on construction and letting

The AfD wants to facilitate investment through less regulation, simpler planning permissions and lower energy efficiency requirements. It opposes expropriation and wishes to relax existing regulations in neighbourhood conservation areas.

In terms of housing support, it places greater emphasis on rent subsidies for low-income households and wants to abolish property tax. Home ownership is to be promoted through tax relief and guarantees.

For subsidised housing, the AfD also proposes a points-based system which would take into account, amongst other things, the length of residence in Berlin.

Where the programmes differ

When it comes to the goal of creating more housing, the parties are closer in their views than the political debate often suggests. Almost all of them want to build faster, speed up planning permission processes and make additional land available for housing development.

The biggest differences emerge when it comes to the role of the state. The CDU and FDP place greater emphasis on private investment, home ownership, the release of land and the creation of economic incentives for new-build housing. The SPD, the Greens and, in particular, Die Linke take a different approach: they want to regulate the housing market more strictly and expand the role of public or public-interest-oriented actors. Die Linke’s central proposal is the expropriation of private homeowners.