Keine Profite mit der Miete

“Keine Profite mit der Miete” is a study/report on the organisation and cost structures of managing large public and cooperative housing portfolios in Berlin and Vienna. It is published by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, and authored by Andrej Holm, Sebastian Gerhardt, David Scheller, and Itziar Gastaminza Vacas, drawing on housing policy and urban research perspectives.

The analysis compares three management settings using operational and financial data: six state-owned housing companies in Berlin (Landeseigene Wohnungsunternehmen, LWU) with roughly 360,000 dwellings; selected larger Berlin housing cooperatives with around 30,000 dwellings; and Wiener Wohnen, Vienna’s municipal provider, with about 210,000 dwellings. This cross-section is used to contrast governance models, staffing, and cost composition across different forms of social and non-profit housing provision.

Berlin’s state-owned companies are described as having centralised decision-making and budgeting, with specialised departments and, in some cases, subsidiary companies for specific tasks. Several operate regional customer service centres aimed at strengthening tenant communication. The cooperatives tend to keep most functions in-house as a cost-control strategy; larger cooperatives still develop specialised units but aim to preserve integrated management. Wiener Wohnen is presented as centrally organised with two key subsidiaries focused on customer service and building maintenance, alongside extensive on-site staff presence.

For maintenance and repairs, the Berlin LWUs spent on average €1.62 per m² per month over 2018–2022. The cooperatives spent more, averaging €2.43 per m² per month, while Wiener Wohnen spent €1.27 per m² per month. The higher cooperative spending is linked in the study to quality maintenance objectives for member housing. The comparatively lower figure for Wiener Wohnen is associated with its large stock of older, in part not comprehensively renovated buildings.

Average administration and personnel costs are reported at €0.99 per m² per month for Berlin’s state-owned companies and €1.10 per m² per month for the cooperatives. Wiener Wohnen shows higher administration/personnel costs at €1.52 per m² per month, which the study relates to a stronger reliance on internal staff for maintenance and repair operations.

Other operating costs (including depreciation and financing-related items) are reported at €3.26 per m² per month for Berlin LWUs, €2.33 per m² per month for cooperatives, and €2.10 per m² per month for Wiener Wohnen. Total operating costs amount to €9.11 per m² per month for the Berlin LWUs (including €3.20 per m² in utility costs), €7.82 per m² per month for cooperatives (including €2.02 per m² utilities), and €7.02 per m² per month for Wiener Wohnen (including €1.94 per m² utilities).

The study reports average net cold rents of €6.40 per m² per month for Berlin’s state-owned companies, €5.81 per m² per month for the cooperatives, and €4.89 per m² per month for Wiener Wohnen. A central conclusion is that socially oriented housing management with maintenance and tenant services can be delivered at around €5.50 per m² per month. At the same time, the study highlights that this level leaves limited room to finance new construction or major energy retrofits without additional public funding mechanisms.

The cost profiles are interpreted as reflecting differing organisational priorities: Berlin’s state-owned companies place stronger emphasis on expansion through new construction and acquisitions; cooperatives allocate comparatively more to ongoing maintenance and quality; and Wiener Wohnen’s spending patterns align with its municipal social-housing mission and staffing model. Across cases, the report provides a detailed, comparable breakdown of the cost components behind large-scale, non-profit and public housing management in two European capital regions.