Radio Spaetkauf – The Berlin News Show

We’re out in the woods for Mobile Kino’s annual camping trip. The Lakeside Film Festival is in its sixth year, and this was the biggest so far. We interview founders Joshua and Fernando about their recent scare with Facebook’s business-killing algorithm.

How will Berlin’s five-year rent cap affect you? If you got a rent increase notice before June 18, you may have to pay it. But the rental experts at Wenigermiete.de say at least 50% of rent increase notices have technical errors that make them invalid. Check with them first before you sign anything – it could save you cash for years to come.

What could happen to Berlin under a strict rent cap? Investors may flee – or be incentivised to build new flats, which are exempt from the rent cap. Landlords may stop maintaining their buildings – but renters can undertake the maintenance themselves and deduct the costs from their rent. Joel says the biggest thing to fear under a rent cap is ourselves. Tenants will be tempted to sublease at higher rates. Berlin’s renters will need to stick together and resist overcharging our housemates.

There’s a state election on in Brandenburg. The Alternative für Deutschland, or AfD, is leading in the polls at 21%, and also have the most posters up on the countryside roads. We discuss their empty slogans, which appeal to the grievances of East Germans who feel left behind the rest of the country, without offering any real policies to boost the local economy.

Caroline Clifford guest hosts, and tells us about how much she loves camping. Caroline is the host of We Are Not Gemused, an open mic night at Sameheads.

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Berlin now has 750 millionaire residents – twice as many as in 2016, according to the Finanzamt. The majority live in the city’s west. More live in Kreuzberg than Prenzlauer Berg. Strangely, the Finanzamt defines a millionaire as someone with over €500,000 in income and assets – a hang-over from the Deutschmark days, as DMs are worth half as much as Euros.

The former German royal family wants its castles back. The remaining Hohenzollerns are relatives of the Nazi-supporting Kaiser Wilhelm II, who abdicated in 1918. His descendants are trying to claim compensation from the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, including artworks from museums, and Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, where they want to live rent-free.

Berlin has introduced a rent freeze. All rents will be capped at their current level for five years, backdated to mid June. Landlords who breach the cap face huge fines. The city is now also talking about introducing rent controls for commercial properties to protect shopkeepers.

Electric scooters have been here only a few weeks, and already we’ve had at least 20 registered accidents. One man lost a few teeth in a crash. A woman was stopped in a park in Prenzlauer Berg rolling along with her dog on a lead. Several have been caught extremely drunk. Drivers are not allowed on the sidewalk, can’t take passengers, and can’t leave the scooter blocking a footpath. The public transport network says you’ll need a bicycle ticket if you bring an e-scooter on a bus or train. They’ve been banned from Tempelhofer Feld.

Join us for our next live recording! It takes place on stage at the Lakeside Film Festival, a weekend of outdoor movies and music by a lake in the woods. Find out more at www.lakesidefilmfestival.com

This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern, and brought to you by RadioEins.

Berlin now has two top level football teams after FC Union jumped up to the Bundesliga by winning a play-off match. FC Union started back in the DDR. Their die-hard fans actually helped rebuild the stadium in Köpenick with their own hands. Maybe they could help finish BER?

Enjoying the heat? Spare a thought for horses pulling tourist carriages in the city center. New rules now apply – carriage operators have to stop if air temperature in the shade reaches 30 degrees Celsius.

There’s been another attempt to crack down on the food sellers in Thai Park. Police and Ordnungsamt officers raided the park on a recent Saturday. But a district official revealed it was all for show. Arne Herz from the CDU said: “We don’t want to ruin the market, we just want to show the residents that we’re doing something.”

Get ready for a rent increase letter. Berlin’s landlords association has advised its members to try to increase rents by as much as possible before June 17. That’s because the city government is working on a new law that would freeze everybody’s rent for the next five years. Landlords are terrified, and are racing to squeeze out one last rent rise first. Residents are being advised not to agree to any rent increase without consulting a renter’s association first.

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This episode was presented by Maisie Hitchcock and Daniel Stern, and brought to you by RadioEins.

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Are you recycling, or ‘wishcycling’? We talk to Thomas Klöckner, spokesman for BSR, Berlin’s waste processing company. It turns out we’re all doing a pretty good job. But bulky waste is a problem. The solution for old mattresses? Talk to your neighbours and book a bulk collection for €50. Here’s where you do it: https://www.bsr.de/sperrmuellabfuhr-20237.php

Should we drive cars out of the city – and make sure they never return? Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain Green politician Florian Schmidt has proposed banning private vehicles inside the Ringbahn. Cars are being squeezed out of certain streets with ‘parklets’ – public seats occupying parking spots. Joel says “driving is violence” and “a bicycle is always right.” Agree? The local initiative Autofrei Wrangelkiez will blockade Oberbaumbrücke on June 15. More info here: http://autofreierwrangelkiez.de/termine/

Shared transport keeps expanding. The city will get 2000 more shared cars, Uber has launched its red electric Jump bikes which go quite fast, and stand-up electric scooters will soon be on the streets. Those who want a bike to treat as their own can rent one from Swapfiets or Vanmoof from as little as €17.50 a month, repairs included. Who needs a car anyway?

The Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignung campaign has passed its first signature collection hurdle, and has centrist parties very worried. The FDP wants to change the constitution to prevent it. The CDU wants to pay subsidies to cover rent increases – basically rewarding greedy landlords with taxpayer money. The SPD wants to tinker with laws to make existing rent caps actually work. The lesson here? You have to demand an extreme change to get a moderate one.

This episode was presented by Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Production help from Joshua of Mobile Kino.

Want a Radio Spaetkauf mug? Become a subscriber! We’ll be giving them to listeners who donate monthly. Go here: steadyhq.com/de/radiospaetkauf