It cannot be denied that rental prices in most major German cities have risen significantly in recent years. The price trend has left many residents of Berlin and other cities wondering whether a rental, cooperative or owner-occupied apartment is the best solution for their living situation. But what are the different types of apartment actually about? What are the differences and which performs better in a direct comparison of a condominium vs. a cooperative apartment?
The condominium at a glance
Buying a condominium is generally cheaper in the long term than renting. Rental prices in the German capital, just like in other major German cities, have risen dramatically in recent years. What’s more, when you buy a condominium, you acquire a lifelong right to live there. If you dutifully pay off your loan and pay the ancillary costs of the apartment on time, no one can terminate your lease or evict you from your condominium. In addition, in many cases, buying a home also serves as a retirement provision. Once the loan has been paid off in full, you will have added the condominium to your assets. In most cases, you need to raise initial capital in order to complete the purchase and get a loan approved.
The cooperative apartment at a glance
The cooperative apartment could be described as a hybrid between a condominium and a rental apartment. You purchase shares in the cooperative in order to be able to move into one of the cooperative apartments. Depending on the cooperative and location, this can be a three or four-figure sum. If you live in the apartment, you pay a monthly rent that is far below the normal amount for rent in this sector. The initial cost of buying shares in the cooperative is usually well below the amount of equity required to buy an apartment.
The right to live in a cooperative apartment lasts a lifetime. The tenancy agreement can therefore not be terminated. In addition, you can use your right of co-determination at the members’ meetings to help determine the cooperative’s future course of action. You receive annual interest of between two and five percent on your cooperative shares. Interest is a decisive factor in a direct comparison between a condominium and a cooperative apartment. On the other hand, with a housing cooperative you have to pay a kind of rent each month, whereas the installment payments stop when the loan on a condominium expires.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a cooperative apartment?
The advantages of a cooperative apartment are manifold. However, they are offset by some disadvantages that can influence the decision. For this reason, here is a clear comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of a cooperative apartment.
Advantages:
- Apartments with excellent quality and a fair price-performance ratio.
- Suitable for people of all ages, subject to membership.
- Lifelong right of residence
- Right of co-determination at the general meetings of the cooperative
- Wide range of services in support of the cooperative
- Financial surpluses of the cooperative benefit the members
- Interesting infrastructure with small stores, access to public transportation, schools and green spaces.
- Social community with summer festivals, Christmas markets, community rooms, choir rehearsals, small cafés and other activities.
Disadvantages:
- Obligation to make additional contributions in the event of losses by the housing company
- Obligation to join the housing cooperative, possibly with long waiting times
- In large cooperatives (over 1,500 members), the individual members do not have direct voting rights at the general meetings. Representatives are appointed.
- Long wait for repayments in the event of termination. When terminating a cooperative apartment, both tenancy law and cooperative law must be observed. The payment of cooperative shares sometimes takes a long time.
The advantages and disadvantages must be taken into account when making a direct comparison between a condominium and a cooperative apartment.
Is a cooperative apartment worth it?
An apartment in a cooperative is very interesting for people who want to plan for the long term but are not necessarily interested in buying a condominium. These are beautiful apartments that are rented out at affordable prices. The rent in a cooperative is significantly lower than conventional rents in Germany’s major cities. However, you have to bear in mind the long waiting times if you are interested in an apartment in a housing cooperative. Once you have managed it, the right to live there lasts a lifetime. Cooperative apartments can certainly hold their own in a comparison of condominiums vs. cooperative apartments due to their many advantages.
