The Rental Dynamics of the West German Market for Newly Built Apartments

Internationally, Germany has a low owner-occupation rate of approximately 43%. Therefore, the rented apartment sector is traditionally of great importance. Nevertheless, only a limited number of empirical studies for the German apartment sector exist. This study provides insight into the rental dynamics of the market for newly built apartments by examining the factors that influence rental change. The empirical results show that the real rental growth of newly built apartments is influenced by income growth, migration patterns and past growth in real construction costs. The results also support the assumption of a backward looking expectation formation process from the developers when applying for a building permit and the structurally higher rental growth rate in southern Germany.