The German Association of Cities has welcomed the federal government's plans to restore the municipal right of first refusal for apartments.
The point is that the cities can protect tenants from displacement by buying houses.
"It is good and helpful that the cities are finally able to act again and are to be given back pre-emption rights in social conservation areas," said the chief executive officer of the city association, Helmut Dedy.
Above all, large cities with high dynamics on the real estate market need this option.
"Because we want cities for all people," said Dedy.
He described the right of first refusal as "one of the most important land policy instruments" for securing affordable housing.
It should be possible to exercise the right of first refusal in so-called conservation areas if, in the city's opinion, the buyer does not want to maintain the inventory accordingly.
Dedy emphasized that this corresponds to the previous practice in the cities - until the Federal Administrative Court decided in November that the legal situation for the right of first refusal was not sufficient.
This should now be changed.
In addition, buyers should only be able to avert the municipality's right of first refusal if they refrain from taking measures to increase rents.
Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz put the legislative plans for the municipal right of first refusal into the vote in the federal government.