The Berliner Bau- und Wohnungsgenossenschaft von 1892 eG was founded on 9 March 1892. We have approx. 7,000 apartments in Berlin and Wandlitz. At the moment we have a good 18,500 members.
We can offer very different properties which are located in the following neighbourhoods:
Membership
You need to purchase a share in the Cooperative worth €300 to become a member. If you rent an apartment you will need to buy further shares. Living in a cooperative allows you to feel very secure because you have a lifelong right to stay in our property.
In addition to the first share, an entry fee of €300 is charged. This does not apply to spouses, civil partners and minor children of members (see also our statute, Articles 5 (2)).
Current notice: It is well known that the search for an apartment in Berlin is not easy at the moment. We also have many more interested people than apartments and the demand for membership remains high. At the same time, our most important mission is to provide our members with living space.
That is why we have decided that in the future we will only accept new members if we can offer them an apartment and a long-term rental agreement is signed. The children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, spouses and civil partners of our members are still welcome as we want to further support the identification with the cooperative idea and the family connection to the cooperative. Please note that also members sometimes have to wait a long time for a new apartment. In sought-after residential areas, there may be a waiting period of up to 10 years or more.
Democracy in a cooperative
A key characteristic of a housing cooperative is that members can exercise a voluntary right to have a say and become involved. Our members have this option with regard to the properties themselves and the organisation as a whole.
More than places to live
Our range of services allows us to offer our members more than just a roof over their heads:
Savings bank
We also offer our members the opportunity to invest their money in our savings bank. It’s a facility that used to and still does benefit both our members and the Cooperative. Our members and their relatives (see clause 15 of the Abgabeordnung – German Taxation Ordinance defining a relative) can place their money in the Cooperative’s savings bank at exceptionally reasonable conditions. We’d be happy to advise you.
