98% of inspected Berlin rental contracts charge illegally high rent

In the second quarter of 2025, 93 of the 95 rental contracts assessed by Berlin’s Rent Price Review Office (Mietpreisprüfstelle) were found to be demanding illegally high rent from tenants.

98% of Berlin rental contracts charge too much

Berlin’s Rent Price Review Office has announced that in 93 of the 95 rental contracts it reviewed in the second quarter of 2025, landlords were charging tenants illegally high rent.

In Berlin, there is a local comparative rent cap limit, which is determined by the rent index (Mietspiegel). In 61 of the 95 reviewed cases, landlords were found to be charging tenants rent 50 percent or more over this comparative rent cap legal limit. 

Charging 50 percent or more over the comparative rent cap limit is considered “rent exploitation” in Germany, and those found to be doing so may be committing a criminal offence and can face prison time. Landlords charging 20 percent over the legal limit can also face a fine of up to 50.000 euros.

One rental contract signed in 2019 and recently reviewed by the Mietpreisprüfstelle found a landlord charging tenants 150 percent over the legal rent cap limit. The tenant was being charged 19 euros per square metre, as opposed to the 8-euro legal limit.

How can I check if I’m paying too much rent in Berlin?

While some of the cases reviewed by the Mietprüfstelle may sound extreme, figures suggest the majority of Berliners are being charged illegally high rents.

According to Conny, a company which helps tenants secure rent reductions if they find they are being charged illegally high amounts, around 75 percent of Berlin tenants pay too much each month.

If you think you might be paying illegally high rents, there are a number of things you can do to enforce your rights. The first step is to gain a better understanding of the German rent brake law and rental index - our explainer breaks it down for you.

If you think your landlord isn’t abiding by the rent break law or rental index, you can run the numbers in Die Linke’s online rent calculator (also available in English). Launched as part of their recent election campaign, between November 2024 and January 2025 alone, the calculator found over 20.000 cases of rent exploitation across eight German cities.

If the calculator suggests you’re being overcharged, you can call Berlin’s Mietprüfstelle hotline. By phone, advisors can confirm whether you’re being overcharged and, if so, may invite you to an in-person appointment to find out more and give you information about how to seek a rent reduction.