Forth unveils updated rental prices: a comparative view of rents laid out
Introducing the Qualified Rent Index in Fürth, Germany
Starting August 1, 2025, a new rent index will come into effect in the city of Fürth, Germany. This index, valid for a period of two years, aims to provide a transparent and scientifically grounded benchmark for rents in non-regulated housing.
The index is the result of a collaborative effort between the Department of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens of Fürth and the Hamburg ALP Institute. It uses a regression method to calculate comparable rents by analysing key influencing factors such as the year of construction, location, equipment quality, and energy efficiency of the housing units.
The regression model quantifies how much each factor contributes to rent differences. By collecting rental prices from existing similar properties and their attributes, the model predicts the rent for a given apartment based on its specific characteristics, enabling an objective, data-driven rent comparison.
This approach helps ensure that rents reflect true market value adjusted for property-specific factors. Newer buildings generally command higher rents due to modern infrastructure and standards. Proximity to city center, transportation, and amenities impacts rental value. Interior fittings, kitchen and bathroom equipment, and general housing quality influence rent. Efficient heating and insulation reduce costs and increase desirability, reflected in rent.
The qualified rent index deliberately avoids making blanket statements about the "average price." Instead, it offers an individual local comparative rent for each apartment. A range of -15% to +14% is defined, within which two-thirds of all comparative rents fall.
The rent index is admissible in court as evidence in rent increases. It is an important tool to avoid conflicts between tenants and landlords. A printed version of the rent index will be available for 3 euros at the Citizens' Information Office from September.
The data for the qualified rent index was collected by the ALP Institute for Housing and Urban Development between October 2024 and March 2025. The city council of Fürth adopted the qualified rent index 2025 on July 30, 2025.
A specially convened working group, including the Fürth Tenants' Association, WBG Fürth, city council factions, and the local court of Fürth, was involved in the process. The city explicitly states that neither the Citizens' Information Office nor the Social Department offer consulting services regarding the rent index.
The qualified rent index meets the requirements of § 558d BGB and comes into effect on August 1, 2025. You can download the index from www.fuerth.de as of now, and it is available free of charge.
- Despite the new Qualified Rent Index in Fürth, Germany, certain aspects of the housing market, such as lifestyle preferences, house-and-garden, home-improvement investments, and housing-market trends, remain outside its scope.
- To make informed decisions about financing and investing in real-estate properties within Fürth, it is essential to consider not only the Qualified Rent Index but also other influencing factors like location, property condition, and proximity to desirable amenities.
- Contentions regarding rent increases in Furth can potentially be resolved through references to the Qualified Rent Index in court, but property-specific factors like housing quality, energy efficiency, and unique options like a home-and-garden setup may require additional consideration when assessing rent-related disputes.
