Private small-scale landlords in Germany: Social situations, attitudes, and action patterns
As the largest group of housing providers in Germany, it is surprising that there is little known about small-scale landlords, even in times of heated public debate on rising rents and their social consequences, including inequality dynamics. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the settings, motives, challenges and attitudes that characterise landlords in their respective social situation.
Our interst: In our mixed-method research, we observe the largest provider group of dwellings in Germany: private small-scale landlords. The study aims to identify their
- motives,
- experiences, routines and challenges,
- (housing) attitudes and
- perceptions of the landlords’ role.
Our perspective: From an inequality perspective, we want to identify various types of landlords regarding their social position and letting conditions. This allows us to move beyond the narrow confines of the landlord stereotype, which often depicts them as either greedy or bad. It also challenges the assumption that letting is a poverty-avoidance strategy for the elderly. Our research is framed by conflict theory. We see tenancy as a relationship of dependency that is interwoven with the constitution of structures of inequality. In addition, we contribute to the research on specific wealth components and their practical social meanings in day-to-day life.
Our methods: Besides qualitative, guideline-based interviews, we evaluate various quantitative secondary data sets (Socio-Economic Panel, Household and Financial Consumption Survey) and create our own questionnaire for the GESIS panel. Above that, a document analysis is conducted.
News
As part of our project work, we designed a questionnaire module on landlords' attitudes towards housing policies in Germany. This has now successfully completed the review process at the GESIS Panel (type: regular submission). Our questions (e.g. regarding state rent control or incentives for new construction) will be included in an upcoming wave of the GESIS Panel survey. The resulting quantitative data will provide insight not only into preferred housing policy measures, but also into landlord-specific positions, such as their views on the causes of the current housing crisis. More information will follow.
Research Team
| Head | Prof. Dr. Nicole Burzan |
| Responsible research associate | Dr. Philipp Kadelke |
| Student assistant | Claudio Möller |
Publications
| 2024 | Kadelke, Philipp: At home in the upper strata: social positions of small-scale landlords in a European cross-country perspective. Culture, Practice & Europeanization, 9 (1), 66–90. | Link |
| 2023 | Kadelke, Philipp: Private Kleinvermieter*innen in Deutschland. Ein Sozialprofil der größten Anbietergruppe auf dem Mietwohnungsmarkt. Easy Social Sciences (GESIS), Mixed , 1–11. | Link |
| 2023 | Kadelke, Philipp: Landlords vs tenants = top vs bottom? Class positions in rental housing in Germany. Critical Housing Analysis, 10 (1), 66–76. | Link |
| 2023 | Kadelke, Philipp: Private Vermieter*innen in Deutschland: Kleine Gruppe mit großer Wirkung, in: Villa Braslavsky, P.-I. (Ed.): Polarisierte Welten: 41. Kongresses der DGS 2022. | Link |
Submitted
| 2024 | Kadelke, Philipp: Private rental housing an inequality: economic asymmetries between tenants and landlords in Europe. In: Housing, Theory and Society |
Presentations
| 2025 | Weimarer Immobilienrechtstage: "Asymmetrien - Konflikte - Gesellschaftliche Rückkopplungen: Das Mietverhältnis aus einer (ungleichheits-)soziologischen Perspektive" [angenommen, Arbeitstitel] | |
| 2025 | Konferenz der DGS-Sektionen Sozialpolitik und Soziale Ungleichheit (Bamberg): "Im Namen des (Ver-)Mieters? Ungleichheit und Rechtsprechung des Bundesgerichtshofs im Mietrecht" | |
| 2024 | Sektionenkonferenz der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie (Osnabrück): "Wohnabhängig statt lohnabhängig: Das Mietverhältnis als Klassenverhältnis?" | Link |
| 2023 | 62. Deutscher Kongress für Geografie 2023 (Frankfurt am Main): "Wer enteignet Familie Stuck? Die stille Macht privater Kleinvermieter*innen von Wohnraum in Deutschland" | Link |
| 2022 | 41. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie 2022 (Bielefeld): "Private Vermieter*innen in Deutschland: Kleine Gruppe mit großer Wirkung?" | Link |
Project duration
04/2024 - 03/2027 (36 months)