New build
The cap does not apply to flats first used and let after 1 October 2014 (section 556f sentence 1 BGB). Both must fall after that date.
Investment property calculator
Berlin rent calculator: what can you let your flat for?
Address, living space and year of construction are enough: the calculator reads the residential location from the address, shows the local comparative rent according to the Berlin rent index (Mietspiegel) 2026 and the rent cap (Mietpreisbremse) limit, and checks for a social preservation area (Milieuschutz).
- Berlin rent index (Mietspiegel) 2026
- Residential location from the address
- Rent cap (Mietpreisbremse)
- Social preservation areas
Loading the map of Berlin
- good residential location
- medium residential location
- basic residential location
Map: streets and buildings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Residential locations: Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing (Data licence Germany Zero 2.0), as of 16/09/2026.
Please enter street, living space and year of construction, then click "Show results". The calculation runs in your browser; the address data is loaded from our site. Your entries are only sent once you unlock your result.
The Berlin rent index 2026 applies to flats that were ready for occupation by 2024. There is no row for newer flats; the rent is then set according to the market offer. We will assess it personally on request.
Result
Note: All values are approximations; the local comparative rent depends on fittings, condition and location, which were not checked here. The upper limit shown is the arithmetical limit of 10 per cent above the comparative rent under section 556d subsection 1 BGB; in an individual case a higher rent may be permissible or a lower one required. Check your flat using the official rent index query of the Senate Department and have legal questions clarified by a lawyer.
Local net basic rent (approximation)
around a month
for of living space.
Your result is ready
View your result and receive it by email
Enter your name, email address and phone number and agree to the notes. Then you will see your rent immediately, and we will also send you the result as a PDF by email.
Rent index range for your flat
Wohnlage (residential location rating)
Rent cap (Mietpreisbremse)
Social preservation areas
Let furnished
Furnishing surcharge
The rent index values apply to unfurnished flats. The rent cap also applies to furnished flats. A reasonable surcharge is added on top of the net basic rent; show it separately in the tenancy agreement.
Current value of the furnishings after straight-line depreciation over 10 years: .
Under the Berlin guidelines (2% of the current value per month): surcharge , net basic rent including surcharge a month.
Future rule under the draft bill (1%, not yet in force): surcharge , net basic rent including surcharge a month.
Existing tenancy
Room for rent increases
Investment property
Multiplier and return
Rent basis: rent index rent (approximated local comparative rent), annual rent . Price-to-rent multiplier on the rent index rent: , gross rental yield .
At the upper limit of the rent cap: price-to-rent multiplier , gross rental yield .
Comparative values for Berlin are in the market data on the price-to-rent multiple. The multiple is a rough figure: service charges, maintenance and vacancy are not deducted. The yield is an example calculation from your entries without incidental costs, taxes, maintenance and vacancy.
How the figure is reached
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Address per directory | |
| Residential location per rent index 2026 | |
| Table row | |
| Range (lower to upper value) | |
| Mean | |
| Deduction for basic standard | |
| Fittings per guidance | |
| Approximated local comparative rent |
Legal position 14 October 2026: rent index 2026 (in force since 28/05/2026), rent cap until 31/12/2029, rent increase cap 15% until 10/05/2028. Not legal advice and no commitment; in a dispute the courts decide. BBI Immobilien accepts no liability for the completeness and accuracy of the result.
In short. What counts is the local comparative rent from the Berlin rent index (Mietspiegel) 2026: it depends on residential location, age of building and living space, and is given as a range. For a new letting, the net basic rent in Berlin may generally be at most 10% above it (rent cap, Mietpreisbremse), unless an exception applies. The calculator shows both for your address.
Method
How the calculator works
01 Residential location
The address determines the location
The calculator first determines the residential location from the address, according to the Berlin rent index (Mietspiegel) 2026. For flats built between 1973 and 1990, the directory assigns the eastern or western part of Berlin; the calculator takes that from the address as well.
- The residential location applies per address, not per flat
- Noise, side of the street and position in the building count only through the features of the guidance tool
02 Range
Three details become one table row
Residential location, year of construction and living space give one row of the rent index table, with a lower value, a mean and an upper value. Without further details, the calculator uses the mean.
- Five feature groups of the guidance tool: bathroom, kitchen, flat, building, surroundings
- For each group, the rent moves by up to 20 percent of the distance towards the upper or lower end of the range
03 Monthly rent
Rent per square metre times living space
The monthly rent is the approximated rent per square metre times the living space. There is nothing more to it.
- The rent index values describe existing rents and new leases of recent years
- Asking rents in Berlin are often higher, but for a new letting they must not exceed the rent cap limit
New lettings
Rent cap and exceptions
In Berlin, at the start of a new tenancy the net basic rent may exceed the local comparative rent by at most 10% (§ 556d BGB, German Civil Code). The Rent Limitation Ordinance of 11 November 2025 declares all of Berlin an area with a tight housing market; it applies from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029. The calculator takes the approximated rent from the rent index as the comparative rent and adds 10%. This is a calculated upper limit, not a commitment.
10%
Upper limit. This is how far the net rent excluding utilities may exceed the local comparative rent at the start of a tenancy
Section 556d BGB
2029End
Validity. The ordinance applies from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029
Rent Limitation Ordinance (Mietenbegrenzungsverordnung) of 11/11/2025
30months
Objection period. The tenant can object to an excessive rent up to 30 months after the start of the tenancy
Section 556g subsection 2 BGB
The law knows four exceptions
Comprehensive modernisation
The law does not apply the cap to the first letting after a comprehensive modernisation (section 556f sentence 2 BGB). The law names no fixed minimum; as a rule of thumb, costs of roughly one third of new-build costs apply, and in an individual case the court decides.
Higher previous rent
If the previous tenant last paid more than the limit, a rent up to the amount of that previous rent may be agreed (section 556e subsection 1 BGB). Rent reductions and increases in the last year before the end of the previous tenancy are disregarded.
Modernisation in the last three years
If the flat was modernised within the last three years before the start of the tenancy, the limit may be exceeded by the amount a modernisation levy would produce (section 556e subsection 2 BGB). That is at most 8 percent of the costs per year, capped at 3 euros per square metre over six years (section 559 BGB). The calculator does not apply this exception.
Anyone relying on an exception must inform the tenant in text form before the contract is concluded, without being asked; otherwise they cannot rely on it (§ 556g paragraph 1a BGB). With a graduated rent, each step is checked separately (§ 557a paragraph 4 BGB); with an index-linked rent, only the starting rent (§ 557b paragraph 4 BGB). A tenant can object to an excessive rent and reclaim the excess; the objection is possible up to 30 months after the tenancy starts (§ 556g paragraph 2 BGB).
The rent index range reflects further differences between flats. The guidance on placing a flat within the range is not part of the qualified rent index, but is recognised as an accepted basis for estimates (Federal Court of Justice, rulings of 20/04/2005 and 18/11/2020). In a dispute, a court may place it differently.
Furnishings
Furnished or unfurnished
The rent index values refer to unfurnished flats. The rent cap also applies to furnished flats; the law makes no exception for them. The capped net basic rent is therefore worked out for the empty flat, and a furnishing surcharge is added on top. It must be reasonable.
There is no statutory formula today. The Berlin guidelines of the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing name a surcharge of at most 2 percent of the current value of the furniture per month, over a useful life of ten years; the guidelines are not legally binding. The calculator takes the new value, depreciates it in a straight line over ten years and shows the surcharge.
2% per month
Today. At most 2 percent of the current value of the furniture, useful life ten years. The guideline is not legally binding
Berlin guidelines
1% per month
In future. According to the draft bill, not yet in force on 14 October 2026
Bundestag printed paper 21/6807
A federal draft bill (Mietrecht II, Bundestag printed paper 21/6807) provides for 1 percent of the current value or a flat rate of 10 percent for fully furnished flats, and would make a separate statement of the surcharge mandatory. It was not yet in force on 14 October 2026; the calculator therefore shows the value only as a future limit.
Show the furnishing surcharge separately in the tenancy agreement and record the replacement value and age of the furnishings. The tenant can ask for information on the facts that decide whether the rent is permissible (§ 556g paragraph 3 BGB). Anyone letting only by the day or week needs a permit from the district office and a registration number in Berlin (misuse of housing ban, Zweckentfremdungsverbot).
Existing tenancies
Rent in an existing tenancy
In an existing tenancy, the landlord may raise the rent up to the local comparative rent, but by no more than 15 percent within three years. This reduced cap applies throughout Berlin under the Cap Ordinance (Kappungsgrenzenverordnung) of 14 March 2023 until 10 May 2028 (section 558 subsection 3 BGB). The rent cap (Mietpreisbremse) does not apply here; it concerns only the start of a tenancy.
If you enter the current rent in the calculator, it names the highest rent possible under both limits. The calculator does not check deadlines, form or reasons for a rent increase request.
15%
Cap. Highest increase within three years, throughout Berlin until 10 May 2028
Section 558 subsection 3 BGB
Preservation area
Milieuschutz and letting
If the flat is in a social preservation area (Milieuschutz), almost every structural change, including modernisation, needs the district office's approval (§ 172 BauGB, German Building Code); it must be granted if the change brings the flat up to the contemporary standard of an average flat. Dividing a building into owner-occupied flats needs approval across Berlin for buildings with more than five flats (§ 250 BauGB, until 31 December 2030), and in preservation areas also under § 172 BauGB (until 12 March 2030). On a sale in a preservation area, the district may examine a right of first refusal (§ 24 BauGB).
Milieuschutz does not limit the rent itself. It works through the approval of conversion and modernisation, for example if you want to renovate before letting. The calculator shows whether your address is in an area, based on the official map; all areas are on our Milieuschutz map. You can find the residential location of every address in the residential location map.
Personal
Get a personal rental value assessment
The calculator shows what the rent index and the law allow. What your flat achieves on the market also depends on condition, floor plan, position in the building and demand in the neighbourhood (Kiez). On request, we work this out with current offer data and give you a documented range for the new letting.
Send your enquiry via the contact form. The assessment is non-binding and does not replace legal advice.
Note. The calculator gives non-binding guidance based on the published data, as of 14 October 2026. It is not legal advice, not a rental valuation and not a market value report. The rent index values refer to the reference date 1 September 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Rent in Berlin: frequently asked questions.
Answers as of: 14 October 2026
How much rent may I charge at most for a new letting in Berlin?
At the start of a tenancy, the net rent excluding utilities may exceed the local comparative rent by no more than 10 per cent (section 556d BGB). The Rent Limitation Ordinance (Mietenbegrenzungsverordnung) declares all of Berlin an area with a tight housing market and applies from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029. The law knows four exceptions: new build, comprehensive modernisation, higher previous rent and modernisation within the last three years.
What is the local comparative rent and where does it come from?
The local comparative rent comes from the Berlin rent index (Mietspiegel) 2026 (reference date 1 September 2025, in force since 28 May 2026). It depends on residential location, year of construction and living space and is given as a range with a lower value, a mean and an upper value. Without further details, the calculator uses the mean.
How does the rent calculator determine the residential location of my address?
The calculator reads the residential location (basic, medium or good) from the official directory of locations for the Berlin rent index 2026, as of 16 September 2026. The location applies per address, not per flat. Noise, side of the street and position in the building are reflected by the rent index only through the features of the guidance tool.
Which exemptions from the rent cap are there?
The cap does not apply to flats first used and let after 1 October 2014 (new build), nor to the first letting after a comprehensive modernisation. If the previous tenant last paid more, a rent up to that previous rent may be agreed. Anyone relying on an exemption must inform the tenant in text form before the contract is concluded.
Does the rent cap also apply to furnished flats?
Yes, the law makes no exception for them. The net rent excluding utilities is determined for the empty flat, and an appropriate furnishing surcharge is added on top. The Berlin guidelines name at most 2 per cent of the current value of the furniture per month over a useful life of ten years; they are not legally binding.
How much may I raise the rent in an existing tenancy?
The landlord may raise the rent up to the local comparative rent, but by no more than 15 per cent within three years. This reduced cap applies throughout Berlin until 10 May 2028. The rent cap (Mietpreisbremse) does not apply here; it concerns only the start of a tenancy.
What does Milieuschutz mean for letting?
Milieuschutz does not limit the rent itself. It works through the district office's approval of conversion and modernisation work and can trigger a right of pre-emption by the district on a sale. According to the official map, the calculator shows whether your address lies in a social preservation area.
Is the rent calculator free and binding?
The calculator is free. It provides an automated, non-binding approximation based on the Berlin rent index 2026 and your entries, without an inspection and without reviewing your individual case; it is not an expert report and not legal advice. You see the result after signing up and also receive it as a PDF by email.
How do I find out what my flat can achieve on the market?
The rent index values describe existing rents and new leases of recent years; asking rents in Berlin are often higher, but for a new letting they must not exceed the rent cap limit. On request, we work out the rental value using current asking-rent data and give you a documented range.
Read more
More on location and value.
Residential location map BerlinThe residential location of every address according to the rent index. Milieuschutz map BerlinAll social preservation areas on one map. Price-to-rent multiple BerlinComparative values for Berlin. Property valuation BerlinHow a value is derived and how the assessment differs from an expert report.
Sources
Sources
- § 556d BGB, permissible rent at the start of a tenancy, with § 556e, § 556f and § 556g BGB
- § 557a BGB (graduated rent) and § 557b BGB (index-linked rent)
- § 558 BGB, rent increase up to the local comparative rent, and § 559 BGB, modernisation levy
- § 558d BGB, qualified rent index
- Berlin Rent Limitation Ordinance of 11/11/2025 (Senate paper with text of the ordinance)
- Berlin Rent Increase Cap Ordinance of 14/03/2023 (Senate paper with text of the ordinance)
- Berlin rent index 2026 and rent index documentation July 2026, Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing
- Senate Department press release on the rent index 2026 of 28/05/2026
- Residential locations by address for the Berlin rent index 2026, Geoportal Berlin (Data licence Germany Zero 2.0), as of 16/09/2026
- § 172 BauGB, § 250 BauGB and § 24 BauGB; Berlin Conversion Ordinance
- Berlin guidelines on furnishing surcharges for residential property, Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing
- Bundestag document 21/6807, draft act amending the law on residential and commercial tenancies (draft)
- Misuse of housing: notification and permit, service.berlin.de
All sources accessed on 14 October 2026.
Know what your flat can earn.
We assess the rent and market value of your investment property and support the letting or sale.