Violent rental dispute in Göttingen: rent increases cause excitement!

Violent rental dispute in Göttingen: rent increases cause excitement!

In Göttingen-Grone it is bubbling: At a recently held tenant assembly in the neighborhood center, things were high. The tenants of the LEG (state development company) are unsettled and outraged by the planned rent increases for 270 of the 1,300 LEG apartments. On average, rents should increase by six percent, in some cases by more than 100 euros. The popular displeasure led to a violent exchange of blows between tenants, tenant representatives and members of the LEG board, such as Göttinger Tageblatt reported.

But where does this increase come from? The LEG refers to comparative apartments according to the simple rent index for Göttingen. However, tenant associations and the test community have been calling for a qualified rent index since 2022, which has been rejected by the city. Hendrik Falkenberg from the test community described the rent increases as a "threat situation", while Karlheinz Paskuda sharply criticized the LEG board members, including Wiegel, from the alliance "Good Living for All".

social problems in focus

Especially the LEG tenants, many dependent on social benefits among them, have a major problem with the planned increase. Higher rents could exceed the limits of the "appropriate costs of the accommodation" (KDU), which would bring many in a difficult situation. Nicole Schrader from the social department advised those affected to contact the responsible office.

The discussion about the additional costs is another point that worries tenant. Change contracts that contain higher additional costs were also addressed. The LEG has now extended the deadline for the signature extension by two months until the end of August in order to provide the tenants more time. New forms with corrected additional costs will be sent soon.

rent index and rental price development

A central aspect in the discussion about rent increases is the current rent index. For 2025, the Ket rental at 11.49 euros per square meter, which is a remarkable increase compared to previous years. In total there was an increase of EUR 2.15 per square meter in the cold rent from 2018 to 2025.

The average living space in Göttingen is 66.43 m². The warm rent is an average of around 14.53 euros per square meter. There are also deviations according to the size of the apartment, with the smallest apartments of 20 to 29 m² comparatively high at 21.22 euros per square meter.