Germanyâs housing market, especially in major cities, is a challenge for everyone seeking shelter or moving house right now. But the barriers for some are far higher, according to a new report from the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor (NaDiRa).
Described as the âfirst comprehensive analysisâ of how racism affects the rental market in Germany, the studyâs findings are shocking. The report shows that the probability of Black and Muslim people being excluded from apartment viewings due to discrimination is 35 percent and 39 percent respectively, compared to just 11 percent for those not racially marked.
The terms âracially markedâ or âracialisedâ are both used in the study to describe individuals who are categorised by others as belonging to a certain âraceâ or group by virtue of their skin colour or name.
The study, conducted by the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), surveyed over 9,500 people between August 2024 and January 2025, combining statistical analysis with a field experiment in which identical rental applications were sent to landlords and estate agents under different names.
The field experiment found that applicants with German-sounding names had a 22 percent chance of being invited to a viewing, while those with names common in the Middle East, Turkey or Africa had a 16 percent chance.
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Unequal treatment
The study exposes a clear pattern: racialised people face discrimination at every stage of the housing process.
Not only are Black and Muslim applicants less likely to be invited to viewings, they are also more likely to live in precarious rental situations. Fixed-term contracts, as opposed to unlimited contracts which are more secure, are held by 12 percent of racialised tenants compared to just three percent of non-racialised (i.e. white) tenants.
Similarly, 37 percent of racialised people spend more than 40 percent of their income on housing, compared to 30 percent of non-racialised people.
Living conditions and neighbourhood experiences
Racialised individuals are also more likely to live in smaller, lower-quality and more expensive homes, according to the study. On average, they have 47 square metres and 1.3 rooms per person, compared to 69 square metres and 1.9 rooms for non-racialised people.
The probability of living in substandard housing is 57 percent for racialised tenants, versus 48 percent for others.
Issues such as inadequate insulation and mould are also reported at much higher rates among Muslim, Black and Asian respondents. Environmental pollution is also more common in neighbourhoods with a high proportion on racialised residents.
Nor does discrimination end at the front door. The study found that 23 percent of Black respondents and 18 percent of Muslims reported being treated worse than others in their neighbourhoods, compared to just six percent of non-racialised people.
READ ALSO: What to do if you experience racism in Germany
Home ownership and psychological impact
Home ownership, a key to financial security in Germany, is far less common among racialised groups: only 11 percent of Black and 24 percent of Muslim respondents own their homes, compared to 57 percent of non-racialised people.
Lower satisfaction with housing and poor living conditions are linked to higher psychological stress, with dissatisfied residents reportedly being nearly three times as likely to report moderate to severe symptoms.
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