Housing policy and platform power: “A platform for tenants, not for capital”

taz: Ms. Blankertz, you are active in the “RedScout24” initiative, which wants to socialize Immoscout24. What is the problem with a platform that mediates between tenants and landlords?

Aline Blankertz: Even if the housing shortage is not caused by Immoscout24, the profit-oriented logic and market power of the platform are exacerbating it. Those looking for housing are the main victims.

Aline Blankertz has been working with digital, data and technology for a long time. In the summer she published the book "Digital Solidarity. Overcoming Capitalist Technology" (Karl Dietz Verlag) together with Malte Engeler.

taz: How does Immoscout24's business model work?

Blankertz: Apartment hunters can take out paid subscriptions. The less living space there is, the more dependent searchers are on the marginal benefits promised by subscriptions. In the even more profitable business customer segment, the company bundles relevant services for brokers such as listings or location analyzes and offers exclusive access to market transparency and better visibility on the housing market. This means that both sides are increasingly dependent on the platform to find or rent apartments. Immoscout24 is exploiting its monopoly position and raising subscription prices in both segments.

taz: Are rising subscription prices the only problem?

Blankertz: No, Immoscout is by no means a neutral intermediary, but rather works in the interest of the landlord. For them, the platform provides tools for rent optimization so that they can check how high they can set the rent in order to still receive enough inquiries. Landlords are shown a small information box informing them that they should please observe the local rent regulations - but they are still recommended a rent that is much higher. In our sample, 57 percent of the advertisements were above the rent cap. And Immoscout is withdrawing from the affair because the platform assumes no liability for its offers.

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taz: What power does the platform have on the housing market?

Blankertz: The parent company Scout24 recently forced Porsche out of the DAX, such is its financial power. The profit margin is over 60 percent; no other digital company can come close. This shows how much pricing power they have. Landlords and real estate agents also regularly groan about the prices that Immoscout charges - but the platform is simply unavoidable. The data for the analyzes with which Immoscout makes money also comes from tenants - a practice for which Immoscout has already been successfully reprimanded by the consumer advice center with regard to Schufa entries.

taz: And would everything get better after socialization?

Blankertz: What we have in mind is a brokerage platform for tenants, not for capital. Apartment advertisements could, for example, be provided with information about the landlords and reviews from previous tenants. Rental price regulations must be adhered to for advertisements on the platform. When allocating viewing appointments, selection could take place according to democratically determined parameters, such as social quotas or preference for single parents. That doesn't solve the housing shortage - but it could alleviate the problem.

Blankertz: We are proposing a different path than socialization via Article 15 of the Basic Law, as Deutsche Wohnen & Co. is striving to expropriate. We see this as a local democratic project. The municipalities would set up their own platform, which would then be given the status of municipal services of general interest, such as water supply or garbage collection. Because these digital portals are in fact monopolies with limited competition. Municipalities have the right to enforce that there is only one provider through the so-called connection requirement.

taz: Is this actually a socialization?

Blankertz: Sure! Socialization is more than Article 15 of the Basic Law. Occupations of factories and living spaces are also socializations. What is crucial is that private property is transferred to public ownership and controlled democratically. If an example municipality - such as Berlin - were to decide on this path, it could be a socialization that even involves fewer hurdles than the application of Article 15.

taz: Well then! A project for red-green-red, right?

Blankertz: The Berlin Left has actually already included a demand in its election program that is very compatible with our plan. There have also been expressions of interest from other parties. But we are not naive. This is not a sure-fire success. There are still many questions to be answered. We are now working on creating a prototype of such a democratic mediation platform so that our idea becomes more tangible. We also want to show people that technology doesn't always have to make everything harder and more unfair, but can also serve people's interests. But only if it is democratically controlled.