After a long struggle, the SPD and FDP have reached an agreement: the rent cap will be extended and there is also movement on the issue of data retention.
The traffic light parties SPD and FDP have reached an agreement on investigative measures on the Internet and tenancy law, thereby reaching a compromise on two of their most important points of contention. “The blockade is over,” said the SPD parliamentary group on Wednesday. FDP MP Thorsten Lieb said: “The coalition has agreed on the “Quick Freeze” procedure at cabinet level.” This means that data would now be stored in a legally secure and event-related manner. Part of the agreement is also the extension of the rent cap in tense housing markets until 2029, as provided for in the coalition agreement. The traffic light is thus reacting to the continuing difficult situation in many housing markets.
With the “Quick Freeze” procedure, the data is only saved if there is suspicion of a crime of significant importance – such as murder or manslaughter. From the point of view of Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), this is not enough. She recently advocated for a new, legally compliant regulation for the storage of telecommunications traffic and location data without any reason. Due to legal uncertainties, the old data retention regulation has not been used since 2017.
To protect against sharply rising rents, the SPD in the Bundestag has been demanding more commitment from Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann for months. The FDP politician has not yet initiated any of the projects agreed in the coalition agreement, criticized the deputy parliamentary group leaders Verena Hubertz and Dirk Wiese in February. Time is running out. Because the rent cap expires at the end of 2025, and the states would need a year and a half in advance for an extension. The rent cap ensures that when a new rental agreement is concluded, the rent may in principle not be more than ten percent above the local comparative rent.
