Could a Left Party government in Berlin expropriate large real estate companies?

Could Berlin expropriate large real estate companies?

The socialist Left Party , which won the Berlin election on September 20, was the only major party on the ballot that said it would implement the results of Berlin's 2021 referendum, when 57.6% of Berliners voted to expropriate the apartments owned by real estate companies that own more than 3,000 units.

But the federal government has said they won't let it happen. So is it even possible? And how did we get here? DW explains.

What did the Left Party say about expropriation?

The Left Party was one of the main supporters of a successful, years-long grassroots campaign called "Deutsche Wohnen & Co. enteignen," ("Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen").

Deutsche Wohnen is a major property developer that owns over 140,000 units across Germany, and 100,000 in Berlin alone.

The campaign and the Left Party argued that by expropriating this and a handful of other major companies like it, the Berlin government could put some 270,000 apartments in Berlin into public ownership, and make them available at affordable rent prices. Other estimates put the number at around 240,000.

The argument struck a chord, as surveys showed that housing and rent prices were the biggest concerns for Berlin voters in the recent election.

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