Small Syndicates and New Cooperatives — New Opportunities to Take Houses and Apartments Off the Market

Housing cooperatives have been around in Germany for ages. They make an important contribution to the provision of affordable rental housing. At the end of the 1980s, the Mietshäuser-Syndikat (MHS) (“tenement house syndicate”) became a new actor, expanding the concept to include self-administration and a solidarity fund. Both forms of tenure have (dis-)advantages. For instance, concerning who has access to them and how politically powerful they can be. In this workshop, we want to have a brief look at the past. What lessons can we learn from the history of cooperatives and the MHS? What went well, what can be improved? What might require completely new approaches? We will then report on our practical experience and look forward to questions and a lively discussion at the end.