New qualified rent index applies with immediate effect

Since 1 January 2024, the new qualified rent index has been in force for the city of Chemnitz, which sets out the comparative rents for rented housing in Chemnitz. Rent indexes are intended to increase legal certainty for tenants and landlords by transparently presenting the current rent level. At the same time, the rent index serves as an assessment basis for the competent courts in legal disputes about appropriate rent levels.

The City of Chemnitz regularly prepares a new qualified rent index every four years and adapts it to the current market situation every two years. The Chemnitz City Council had commissioned a working group to adapt and process the rent index. This includes representatives of the interests of Chemnitz tenants, the Chemnitz housing industry, private landlords and representatives of the City of Chemnitz as well as the Chemnitz District Court in an advisory capacity.

The previous qualified rent index, which has been valid since 1 January 2022, had to be adjusted due to price developments in order to retain the "qualified" rating. The law provides two options for this: The rent index can either be adjusted using the consumer price index of the Federal Statistical Office or by means of a new random sample survey.

Due to the general price dynamics in the relevant period from 30 June 2021 (survey date of the last revision) to 30 June 2023, the City of Chemnitz has opted for an adjustment by means of a new sample survey. The price dynamics were due in particular to price increases for energy sources and their subsequent costs.

Accordingly, base rents have risen by an average of 4.4 percent in the past two years (reporting date 30 June 2021 and 30 June 2023). The values in the basic rent table were therefore also increased by this percentage.

Despite the increases in recent years, rents in Chemnitz remain extremely low compared to other major cities. This is due on the one hand to the special development of the demand and supply structure on the Chemnitz housing market, and on the other hand to the endeavours of the Chemnitz housing companies and cooperatives to always strive for a socially acceptable development of rents in Chemnitz, even under difficult conditions - despite the cost developments in the construction industry and in the maintenance of the housing stock that they have to bear.

Procedure

A qualified rent index must be drawn up in accordance with recognised scientific principles and formally recognised either by the tenants' and landlords' interest groups or by the city council.

The necessary survey of current rent data from the Chemnitz housing market, which forms the basis for the adjustment, was carried out as a combined tenant/landlord survey. To this end, the rents of flats that were newly agreed or changed within the past six years were surveyed as at 30 June 2023. A total of 10,000 households in Chemnitz, which were selected using a statistical sampling procedure, were contacted by post to compile the new rent index. In addition, the Chemnitz housing industry submitted a total of 26,500 existing rents.

In accordance with Section 23 of the Rent Index Ordinance, similar assumptions can be made for the adjustment by means of random sampling as for an adjustment based on the consumer price index.

Formal recognition in accordance with Section 558d (2) BGB has been granted by the representatives of the interests of Chemnitz tenants (Mieterverein Chemnitz und Umgebung e. V.) and landlords (Haus- und Grund Grundbesitzerverein Chemnitz und Umgebung e. V., Haus & Grund Eigentümerschutz - Gemeinschaft Chemnitz und Umgebung e. V.) until 31 December 2023.

With its formal approval, the adjusted rent index comes into force on 1 January 2024 and remains valid as a qualified rent index until 31 December 2025.

History

The first rent index was drawn up by the City of Chemnitz on 6 November 1997, when average local comparative rents of between 4.70 and 9.18 German marks per square metre were reported. Since then, the Chemnitz rent index has been adapted to several legal amendments and has been recognised by landlord and tenant representatives as a balance of interests.

Service

The complete rent index with instructions for use is available to download free of charge here.

In addition, an online calculator for determining the local comparative rent can also be found there as a calculation aid.

The brochure is also available in printed form for a fee of 5 euros at all citizen service centres of the City of Chemnitz.