A British father who moved to Germany has found that private renting works better than in the UK, with higher salaries and cheaper rents. Bex Burch, a 39-year-old musician, swapped the stressful private renting in London and Brighton for a new life in Berlin. She described the move as 'a weight off my shoulders', noting that tenants in Germany cannot be forced out without reason.
Burch pays about 30% less rent for 50% more space in Berlin compared to London. Germans typically stay 11 years in rented homes on average, compared to 2.5 years in the UK. More than half of German households rent privately, while in England and Wales it is 20% and in Scotland 15%.
Germany has tenant organisations that give renters influence over landlords, and limits on in-tenancy rent rises. However, acquiring a tenancy can be arduous, and rents in Berlin have more than doubled in some areas since 2015. Despite this, Germany remains one of many EU nations where renting is cheaper and more stable than in the UK.
The UK recently surpassed Norway to become the European country where the greatest proportion of households spend more than 40% of disposable income on housing. In Germany, only 5% of private renters are overburdened, compared to 23% in the UK. Burch noted: 'The UK now feels like it's the outlier.'
