Berlin Properties Neukölln 2022

Multi-ethnic hip mix

Neukölln's enormous potential cannot be described without mentioning the challenges that the district faces. In no other Berlin district do so many ethnic groups come together so closely; nowhere else in Berlin there is such a cultural diversity. However, what has long been interpreted as a weakness of Neukölln is increasingly turning out to be strength. The population' s diversity is also expressed in a high level of acceptance for change. The mega-district Neukölln is about to establish itself as a young, impulse-giving and powerful engine in Berlin. In Neukölln you can't watch - one has to keep pace. Developments are rapid and not gradual. And unlike before, no new parallel societies are developing, but a young, hungry business culture, from which the established population of Neukölln does not want to be protected, but to profit. Many people recognize the signs and understand that it is not about displacement, but about change. Investors plan coworking spaces and build the necessary apartments for people moving in. Orphaned parking garages are turned into offices, and game halls into functioning retail, catering, office or service structures. The vision for Neukölln is not a protected milieu, but a cosmopolitan, dynamic, real participating community.

Neighbourhoods in Berlin Neukölln

The north of Neukölln is characterised by a well-preserved old building stock from the Wilhelminian period, partly mixed with blocks of flats from the 1930s. South of the circular railway (Ringbahn), single-family house areas, suburban housing developments and large housing estates with many high-rise buildings dominate. The area Karl-Marx-Straße/Sonnenallee is a redevelopment area (Sanierungsgebiet). The quarter is the cultural and social centre for more than 25,000 inhabitants from over 160 nations. It is also the administrative heart of Neukölln. Neu-Britz also has a redevelopment area between Delbrückstraße and Jahnstraße, which will undergo a transformation process with the extension of the city motorway (A 100). In Britz there is both a metropolitan development and further south a more suburban architecture. The 1907 settlement between Pintschallee, Rungius-, Hannemann- and Franz-Körner-Straße is regarded as an urban ideal, as is Hufeneisensiedlung (UNESCO World Heritage Site), which was built in the 1920s according to plans by Bruno Traut and Martin Wagner. Rudow and Buckow are settlements with single-family and multi-family houses and apartment buildings with numerous green areas.

New construction Neukölln

Development activity in Neukölln is running high. In almost all neighborhoods of the vast district, both municipal and private projects are being realized. Currently in the preliminary planning phase is, among others, a large private-sector residential project in the former Geyerwerke with almost 230 apartments and a new urban quarter "Neue Ringbahnhöfe" at the southern end of Karl-Marx-Strasse near the Neukölln S-Bahn station with around 500 to 700 apartments. In addition to student apartments and units for shared living, hotel rooms will also be developed here. Also in an early planning phase is the development of the site of the former fun pool "Blubb" which could provide around 320 units.  

Among municipal developers, "Stadt und Land" is particularly active in Neukölln. The housing association is planning and building residential neighborhoods at various locations that will produce several thousand units in different planning and construction phases.

While neighborhood-heavy projects were the development drivers in Neukölln so far, the currently planned projects are larger in scale. According to our research, at least 4,000 to 5,000 residential units could be developed in the zip code areas in Neukölln by 2024.

While the large residential projects are being developed in a slightly decentralized environment, a number of flagship projects for office and retail are at an advanced stage of construction in the heart of Neukölln. At the most central point of Karl-Marx-Strasse, Maruhn Real Estate is transforming the former Sinn-Leffers department store into an exciting office building with around 40,000m² of floor space.

Property prices Neukölln

The scale of the property market and the many different typologies of real estate in Neukölln requires a differentiated view by location and type. The quantitatively largest supply market is in the northern part of Neukölln, surrounded by the Tempelhofer Feld (former airport Tempelhof) in the west, the Hermannplatz and the Landwehrkanal in the east. About 910 apartments were offered in this area during the 12-month period, at an average offer price of 4,790 EUR/m².

At 8,990 EUR/m², which are currently asked as an average squaremeter price for new apartments in Neukölln, prospective buyers challenge the quality of microlocations and construction. The prices for new apartments in Neukölln are also increasingly being measured at alternative locations such as Wedding or Moabit. 

Bird's eye view: Property Prices in Berlin Neukoelln

The Bubble Chart shows the supply situation of the last 12 months for the property market in Neukölln. The colors indicate the year of construction classes, the size of the bubbles the quantity of offers, the location in the coordinate system the price radius (square meters) and apartment sizes.

Price segments

Development of the housing offer (existing apartments) in Neukölln. The chart shows price increases and price segment shifts over the 10-year period.

Family houses in Neukoelln

The real estate market for family houses in Neukölln consists of pre-war housing developments and various post-war quarters. For a long time, demand for these properties was weak. In fact, there was hardly any fluctuation. Both things have changed in the meantime. With the growing pressure on the inner-city housing market, the mostly compact houses are becoming a sought-after product again. Young families appreciate the mixture of urbanity and family environment. The markets are located in Britz with 70 houses offered in the 12-month period (5,410 EUR/m²), Buckow with 150 Houses at an average of 5,740 EUR/m² and Rudow with 310 at 5,490 EUR/m² average asking price for existing houses.

Rental market in Berlin Neukölln

In the rental market in Neukölln, the middle and lower price segments prevail across the entire district. In the current period the average offer rent is 10.90 EUR/m². In the housing markets Neukölln Nord and Zentrum the average rent is 12.35 EUR/m². The development to the previous year is about -2.90 %.

In Neukölln there has been lively construction activities in the past few years. Many properties from private residential construction projects are currently coming onto the rental market. In total there were 90 new construction apartments offered for rent in the 12-month period in Neukölln. The current average offer rent is 24.05 EUR/m². In the central districts (Nord-Neukölln, Karl-Marx-Straße) the average offered rent for new developments is 24.05 EUR/m². In housing projects in Buckow and Rudow at 34.35 EUR/m² and 15.00 EUR/m².

Snapshot

The Bubble Chart shows the supply situation of the last 12 months for the property market in Neukölln. The colors indicate the year of construction classes, the size of the bubbles the quantity of offers, the location in the coordinate system the price radius (square meters) and apartment sizes.

Development of property price segments in Berlin Neukoelln

The chart shows the changes in the price structure of the district based on four price segments. How many apartments were offered in the different price segments? The line shows the development of the average offer price per square metre across all apartment types and price segments for existing apartments.

Apartment buildings in Neukoelln

Apartment buildings in Neukölln have risen considerably in price in all neighbourhoods in recent years. The areas along the Landwehr Canal (Kreuzkölln), on the edge of the Tempelhofer Flugfeld (North Neukölln), as well as the Reuter-Kiez and the Richard-Kiez are currently in focus. Due to the almost comprehensive introduction of milieu protection areas in the areas mentioned, mainly long-term investors are interested in purchases. In Neukölln, in addition to the general conditions resulting from the preservation statutes, a number of other details must be taken into account with regard to the transaction. We will be happy to provide you with further information.

The prices per square metre for rental houses in Neukölln have developed in parallel to the overall market since 2012. The former underdog Neukölln has become a sought-after district. Over the 10-year period, owners can look back on a rise in prices per square metre of around 400%. The number of properties on the market is stable. Partial price exaggerations lead to a longer time on the market.

Related topics: Milieu protection  Rent cap  Residential building report

The table shows the values for multi-family houses published by the German Real Estate Association (IVD) for Neukölln by location and year of construction.

"Baujahresklasse" = year of construction.
"Einfache bis mittlere Lage" = Simple to good area. 
"Gute bis sehr gute Lage" = Good to very good area.

Trend

The real estate market in Neukölln was initially driven by high influxes and affordable rents and subsequently by the settlement of start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises. In the meantime, Neukölln has become a routinized and established district. The hype has given way to a stabilization phase in the portfolio segment, where the development of residential prices in 2022 is gradually shifting to a sideways movement. Most recently, the price trend for apartments from the large old building and post-war stock was negative for the first time in years, at around 2.50 % in the stock segment. Various new construction projects in central areas of Neukölln, which are continuously rising in price, are contributing to the calming of the portfolio. Developments in Neukölln are varied: In the existing stock, there is greater price differentiation by location. The new-build segment is opening up new locations from the south and, in particular, traditional locations such as Rixdorf, Kreuzkölln and Schillerkiez are rocketing through the roof in terms of prices.

The district has responded to the Neukölln hype with new milieu protection areas and the expansion of existing areas, and has practically frozen supply in the wake of the conversion ordinance. As a result, prices for already divided properties in the good locations are rising. Those who want ownership pay higher prices or are forced to move out. At the same time, change in the neighborhoods is unstoppable; in Rixdorf alone, more than one hundred microapartments are being built, with additional units in Saalestraße. It is becoming clear that the development that has long emanated from northern Neukölln is now also starting from the south, because land is still available here. 

Building activity in Neukölln

Neukölln is a densely built-up inner city district in Berlin. With an existing residential stock of around 165.000 units, the district is the fourth largest in Berlin. The number of 40 statistical planning spaces LOR (Lebensweltlich orientierte Räume) shows how diverse the district is. With an average apartment size of 69.8 m², most quarters are in the lower range. The statistical household size is 1.78 persons. In terms of figures, the household size is 2.05 persons per household.

There has been an increase of construction activity in Neukölln in recent years.When and in which quarters (LOR) construction completions were reported, can be seen from the map. (Source: Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg)

Milieu protection in Neukoelln

In 2016/2017, the district of Neukölln declared the northern areas of the district to be milieu protected areas almost area-wide.

As of March 2020, the Neukölln District Authorities have declared Britz-North as milieu protection area.

Milieu protection map Neukölln

Check in our milieu protection map Berlin whether your property is located in a protection area, an investigation area or a suspected area. Our milieu protection map is continuously revised and updated on basis of the resolutions of the district assemblies (BVV). 

General background

Neukölln is an industrial district, start-up hub and cultural melting pot. One of Neukölln's major strengths and at the same time chances is its space potential. Despite the high density in the central districts, there is less conflict caused by space competition than in other inner-city districts. 22,000 entrepreneurs, 5,500 companies with around 60,000 jobs do not interfere with modern think tanks and office concepts, nor vice versa. In the years to come, the district may not develop radically, but it will certainly develop in an essential way. Inside, the district centre along Karl-Marx-Strasse will be upgraded. Investors are planning coworking spaces and housing projects, and the spirit of change is attracting young New Berliners, students and young families. Start-ups, bars or hipster restaurants are just as much at home in Neukölln as small manufactories and crafts. In the most popular quarters such as Reuterkiez, Richardplatz and along the Landwehrkanal, pubs and galleries line the streets. The good connection to the future airport BER, the proximity to the economic and scientific location Adlershof and soon Germany's largest hotel complex, the Estrel Berlin, make Neukölln a player in Berlin. It should not be concealed that the positive development of the Neukölln districts is also due to state programmes. There are a total of 11 neighbourhood management areas in the district. What remains is the housing shortage. And unfortunately in Neukölln, too, the focus is on protecting existing structures instead of building new ones. The mood towards investors is suspicious and the protection of the milieu slows down the development of the neighbourhoods, but cannot stop the dynamics in the long run.

Migration

Neukölln continues to internationalize and transfers its population to other districts. At the same time, influxes from the international area have been increasing continuously. For years, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland have alternated in terms of international immigration. The middle places are held by Western European countries. Turkey also continues to occupy an important position. The influx of people from crisis areas has abated. The inflows and outflows of the national migrations correspond to the population size of the federal states, with the exception of the suburbs (Brandenburg), which occupies the top position. Significantly more people move from Neukölln to the surrounding communities than vice versa. The trend towards suburbanisation has been going on for years and is an expression of the narrower real estate market in Neukölln.