While the German capital continues its political efforts to tackle the housing crisis, a commission has validated the feasibility of expropriating housing providers.

On June 28, 2023, a legal expert commission appointed by the City of Berlin (Commission) published its final report (Report), examining whether private residential investors could be expropriated under certain conditions. According to the Commission, the State of Berlin has jurisdiction to enact laws transferring privately owned real estate to publicly owned companies (nationalization, Vergesellschaftung), and such laws would comply with both the federal and the state constitution. Should these laws be implemented, they would likely target private investors who own more than 3,000 residential units in Berlin.