Missing in Friedrichshain: Tenant fights for her shower!

Missing in Friedrichshain: Tenant fights for her shower!

Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Deutschland - The living situation in Berlin is tense, especially in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district. Simone Wirz and her two adult sons have been facing enormous challenges in their apartment for almost four months. The bathtub is tilted on rough concrete, the floor tiles are torn out and the heating has been broken down. The cause of the desolate location are black mold and water damage in the apartments above and below. While rental prices in the area continue to rise, the rent from Wirz was recently increased by almost a hundred euros. The situation is even more complicated due to the difficulties with the Schön & Sever property management company, which looks after 6,000 apartments nationwide.

as the taz , Wirz sent numerous letters to the administration, which, however, mostly remained unanswered. Only a rent reduction brought movement to the matter, and craftsmen: Inside, the bathroom finally examined. However, instead of carrying out the necessary repairs quickly, the administration called for the repayment of the rent reduction and threatened legal steps. Wirz suffers from psychological pressure and is afraid of losing your apartment, while the renovation work that started at the end of last year continues without an alternative shower facility.

difficulties with property management

dr. Ulrike Hamann-Onentz from the Berlin Tenants' Association is critical of the practices of Schön & Sever. In their view, these practices show the administration's intention to get rid of the end of rental. The image is confirmed by the experience of other tenants: inside the area, which also complains about increased additional costs and unanswered inquiries. Wirz has been fighting with different defects in your apartment, including mold and old windows for three years. Your lawyer has already requested an injunction to restore the bathing and showering options.

The economic pressure on the tenants: inside is further tightened. Rental prices increase in the context of a cut residential area so that measures such as rental price controls and protection against dismissal are becoming more important. These political instruments were originally introduced as short -term measures to protect the end of the rental from disproportionate increases. According to a report of the Diw that the state actively intervenes in the housing market to ensure the provision of good quality living space.

political need for action

In this context, politicians also express: inside like Caren Lay, member of the Bundestag of the Left, the need for greater protection against dismissal and better equipment for municipal residents. Florian Schmidt, City Councilor of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, criticizes the failed political failure and calls for a housing economy law. In the meantime, Wirz has to do without a shower in her apartment. Your neighbors have made it possible for her and her sons in the past three months to take a shower, but the perspective remains uncertain.

The challenges with which the rental companies are confronted illustrate the explosive location on the Berlin housing market and the urgent need for action for a sustainable and fair housing policy.