Hover a line for its translation; hover a word for its meaning. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
Generate a brand-new dialog on any topic, using this lesson's 0 vocab words — plus any words you add below.
Sign in to generate dialogues. It needs a pass — the first ten lessons of every course are free either way.
Housing Co-ops in Berlin
Housing cooperatives, Wohnungsbaugenossenschaften, have a long history in Berlin. Many were founded around 1900 and in the 1920s, when working- and middle-class Berliners pooled their money to build decent, affordable homes for themselves. Their buildings, often grouped around large courtyards, are still part of the cityscape, and roughly one in ten Berlin rental apartments today belongs to a co-op. A co-op works differently from an ordinary landlord. Members buy shares, Geschäftsanteile, which are returned when they leave. Instead of a standard lease they sign a Nutzungsvertrag, a usage agreement, which gives them a long-term right to live in their apartment. Because a co-op does not need to make a profit for outside owners, rents are often below the local average, and members have a vote on how the co-op is run, usually through an elected assembly of representatives. The catch is getting in. Many co-ops have long waiting lists, and some have stopped accepting new members altogether. Those that do take new members often value involvement in the house community, from courtyard parties to the minutes of a house meeting. For many people who have moved to Berlin, a place in a co-op is one of the clearest signs of having put down roots, and the paperwork that comes with it is where the next chapter begins.