After the former Grand Coalition had introduced the ordering principle for the 01.06 2015, the jubilation at the German Tenants' Association was initially large, because the amendment, which also introduced the rental price brake in metropolitan areas, should generally relieve tenants. The ineffectiveness of the rental price brake has been exhaustively discussed in recent years. The conclusion is that it failed. But did the introduction of the ordering principle actually lead to a financial relief for the tenants and could it also benefit socially disadvantaged population groups?
The elimination of the brokerage fee of two months' rent certainly means a relief for hirers. The landlord, on the other hand, can deduct the brokerage tax, but it still costs him. Many landlords have therefore taken the rental in hand, but that also had consequences. A rental property in a convenient location for a reasonable price can well and gladly once call three hundred interested parties on the plan. It then quickly becomes clear to the private landlord that renting is not as trivial as it is often portrayed. Therefore, the trend is also observed that many landlords now turn back to a broker.
But what has the ordering principle achieved for socially disadvantaged citizens, for Hartz IV recipients, temporary employees or refugees? Ultimately, it only has negative consequences for these groups. Today, landlords apply significantly stricter criteria for letting. With the current low unemployment figures, the choice is large and the demand for living space in the metropolitan areas far exceeds the supply. It is therefore not surprising that landlords generally only accept tenants who are in an open-ended employment relationship and who can prove a corresponding credit rating. The aim is, of course, the longest possible letting, because frequent changes of tenant either lead to more costs or a considerable amount of work. As a consequence, this leads to a further shortage of the supply for those groups of people whose chances of affordable living space were already low before the introduction of the customer principle. What was thought of as a social benefit now turns out to be its opposite.