“Sicher Wohnen in Berlin – Der Markt regelt es nicht!” is a two-day housing and rent policy conference taking place in Berlin, Germany, on 29–30 May 2026. It is organised by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung in cooperation with the Left Party parliamentary group in the Berlin House of Representatives. The Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, founded in 1990 and named after socialist theorist Rosa Luxemburg, is a political foundation based in Berlin that works on social policy, democracy, international solidarity, and political education.
The conference addresses Berlin’s ongoing housing and rental crisis, with a focus on rising rents, displacement, rent gouging, and the shortage of affordable new housing. Its purpose is to assess the current state of housing policy and to discuss whether left-wing and progressive measures have been effective. The event is aimed at policymakers, housing activists, tenant organisations, researchers, and members of the public interested in social housing policy.
Planned topics include the legacy of the Berlin rent cap, participation and dialogue with affected residents, rent freezes for municipal housing companies, and possible future measures such as socialisation of large housing portfolios, a municipal housing construction programme, and a model rent cap for public housing providers. The conference will also present practical tools and initiatives, including housing exchanges, rent gouging apps, anti-eviction campaigns, anti-demolition efforts, and cooperative housing models.
A major focus will be the draft “Sicher-Wohnen-Gesetz” proposed by the Left Party in the Berlin parliament. The draft would introduce statutory social quotas, require commercial landlords with at least 50 apartments to allocate an increasing share of vacant units at regulated rents to lower-income households, and reserve additional quotas for people experiencing homelessness. It also proposes a rent cap, greater transparency in the housing market, and a new state authority to