Berliner Bau- und Wohnungsgenossenschaft von 1892 eG

The Berliner Bau- und Wohnungsgenossenschaft von 1892 eG was founded on March 9, 1892 as the Berliner Spar- und Bauverein. At that time, thousands of job seekers from rural areas streamed into the industrial and commercial metropolis of Berlin, where they mostly lived in tenements. Rents rose nearly 75 percent between 1880 and 1892. Dormitories were sublet by the hour in order to be able to pay the rent. Housing misery and disease ruled the city. There was no state-organized housing policy. During this time, a few men who belonged to the wealthy classes had the idea of ​​founding the Berlin Savings and Building Association. They wanted to give workers a better standard of living. Each member subscribed shares in the cooperative, which were used to finance the purchase of land and the building of houses. The Berliner Spar- und Bauverein quickly became a model for a metropolitan type of cooperative that was experimental in social, cultural and housing reform terms. Our cooperative has over 18,500 members. As a co-owner, you are protected against apartment sales and landlord arbitrariness. You benefit from company profits, because surpluses flow into the environmentally friendly care of apartments and living environment or as dividends back to the members.