Updated on 05/17/2022 at 10:24 p.m
- More and more people are unable to find an apartment in Germany or are looking for ages.
- Ex-“Bachelor” Jan Kralitschka is investigating the problem in his new RTL show “Wohnung desperately wanted”.
- He uncovers what he never thought possible…
If you are looking for an affordable and acceptable apartment in the big city, you need stamina and strong nerves. Jan Kralitschka, attorney for tenancy law, is now helping desperate people looking for an apartment and checking application documents and tenancy agreements. “Apartment desperately wanted” is the name of the new RTL documentary with the “Bachelor” of the year 2013.
A year and a half after the breakup, Anika Kluge still lives with her ex-boyfriend in the three-room apartment. Although she would have found an apartment back then, her little daughter Pia fell ill with leukemia and was supposed to stay in her familiar surroundings. The little one is doing better, but now Anika Kluge simply has no success finding an apartment. On top of that, her ex doesn’t want to release her from the jointly concluded rental agreement.
The retail clerk from Berlin complains to Kralitschka: “I applied for 80 apartments, but was only invited to ten.” The lawyer understands the difficult situation: “Mrs. Kluge has it twice as difficult because there is also the fact that she cannot go to work. She gets 70 percent of her gross wages as sick pay.” This is the current situation as long as she has to stay at home for her daughter.
“Mrs. Kluge’s application portfolio makes it particularly clear how important it is to refer to an individual case.” Kralitschka gives her the promising tip to describe her personal situation when applying. But then everything turns out differently: her ex clears the field and leaves the apartment to Anika Kluge.
The family lives in the basement without a bathroom
© RTL
The Kimani family from Hamburg has a sad suspicion: Can Kenyans not find an apartment because of the color of their skin? Ruth and Kelvin Kimani have been living in Germany since 2013, both work in the care sector and have been looking for an apartment for three years without success. At the moment they live with their little daughter Eliana in a two-room apartment in the basement with a shared bathroom. The second child is on the way, so the family urgently needs more space.
But the applications are only rejected without giving reasons, and the Kimanis could afford rent of 2,900 euros. “Is the housing market really so overcrowded that you have been searching for three years with this generous budget without success?” Kralitschka wonders. “Or – you don’t dare to say – could it be the color of your skin or the African-sounding name?”
Testing provides evidence of discrimination
He carries out a so-called test to confirm the suspicion of discrimination: First he applies for 60 apartments under the name of the Kimanis. Shortly thereafter, he sends out exactly the same documents, but this time as Ramona Schulze with a photo of a blonde colleague. There are only twelve responses in total, but the result is still shocking. In six cases, landlords invited the fake blonde, but ignored the Kimanis, rejected them or gave them a later viewing appointment. All of the examples “that can definitely be classified as discriminatory,” Kralitschka is stunned: “I didn’t think that discrimination was still an issue at all.”
Ruth Kimani, on the other hand, expected it: “It makes me sad. Me and my family have integrated in such a way that we do everything that has to be done. And that’s why we expect equal treatment with something like that.” She intends to refrain from suing for damages. A personal letter from her previous landlady should help: “They are both very nice people and hardworking and clean. I can’t explain it, because you can’t have better tenants.” This reconfirmation actually brings the hoped-for apartment a little outside of town.
Jan Kralitschka has tips for anyone looking for an apartment: Schufa information and a certificate of no rent arrears must be included in the application documents. In the countryside, rents are cheaper and apartments are easier to find. A personally designed application that stands out from the crowd is just as helpful. Because a landlord decides who gets a vacant apartment based on solvency and sympathy. (ch)
© 1&1 Mail & Media/teleschau
Source-web.de