Berlin’s public broadcasting station rbb just published an interview with Sebastian Bartels, the head of Berlin largest tenant organisation, Berliner Mieterverein. Along with interesting insights on the legal situation of subletting and the rise of informal and illegal practices on Berlin’s housing market, the

interview provides interesting context on the size and the for the development of subletting in the city over past decades from the perspective of tenant support work.

“rbb: What percentage of rentals in Berlin are sublets compared to regular rentals?

Sebastian Bartels: That's difficult to estimate because there are no official surveys on this. I estimate that a third of all tenancies among younger people are now sublets. The problem affects a certain age group. Subletting is very common among 18 to 30-year-olds. Tenants can't find anything else – it's what's left. Students get together in groups of three or four. They might be able to afford an overpriced room. That's the reality – you're just picking up the crumbs.

rbb: How has this phenomenon developed in Berlin?

Sebastian Bartels: In the 1990s and early 2000s, we had an incredible number of subletting arrangements, which then subsided, and now the whole thing is coming back like a wave. It has become a large market. Many of our members who come to us for advice are flat-share residents. Five or six people rent an apartment together, and then problems arise because they don't consider many things – including the rent.”

Read the full interview on the rbb website here.