A narrow majority is against the expropriation of housing companies

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Berlin (dpa / bb) - According to a representative survey, a slim majority of Berliners reject expropriations from large housing companies.

In the current survey carried out by the opinion research institute Infratest dimap on behalf of the Berlin CDU, 36 percent of those questioned said they found the expropriation initiative a good one and considered compensation worth billions to be a good investment.

In contrast, 51 percent were of the opinion that this would not create additional living space and rejected the expropriation initiative.

Another 11 percent were unsure, 2 percent did not provide any information.

The "Deutsche Wohnen & Co. expropriate" initiative is committed to "socializing" real estate companies with more than 3,000 apartments in Berlin in return for compensation.

As of Friday, she wants to collect around 170,000 signatures as part of a referendum in order to get a vote on it.

It would be possible in parallel to the election of the House of Representatives at the end of September, if enough signatures are gathered.

In the west of Berlin, with 58 percent against and 32 percent for the expropriation plans, there is a slightly different picture than in the east of the capital: there 42 percent are against and 41 percent are in favor.

The number of those who are unsure is 15 percent in the east, almost twice as high as in the west (8 percent).

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CDU state chairman Kai Wegner said on Friday that the referendum was a frontal attack on the center of society.

"People do not want ideology and class struggle, but fair regulations on the basis of our social market economy."

Expropriations are a historical mistake and do not solve the problem of the housing crisis.

"This would worsen the situation for Berlin: tenants cannot find affordable apartments and investors are withdrawing," said Wegner.

The Berlin SPD also rejects the goals of the initiative, and the Left Regional Association expressly supports it.

The Association of Berlin-Brandenburg Housing Companies (BBU) sees itself confirmed by the survey: “The figures show that a majority in Berlin is against expropriation.

Because it is obvious: expropriations will not create a single one of the new apartments that the growing Berlin needs so badly, ”he said on Thursday.

"The tension on the housing market can only be eliminated through faster construction and investments."

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210225-99-590457 / 2