柏林政府下令五年內不得漲房租 違者罰款

房價是一個全球性問題，即使在房價相對較低的柏林，政府也在爲房租逼走人口而苦惱。房租上漲過快引發本地居民的不滿，甚至要求從大業主那裏徵用房產。當地政府爲此正在起草法案，要求從2020年起五年內不得漲房租，而業主聯盟的對策則是在近期普漲房租。最後誰會贏得這場沒有硝煙的戰爭呢？

Berlin's government has moved to freeze rents in the booming German capital for five years from 2020 in their latest bid to halt runaway gentrification.

爲了阻止愈演愈烈的城市紳士化趨勢，德國首都柏林市政府剛剛決定從2020年起五年內柏林房租停漲。

gentrification[,dʒɛntrɪfɪ'keʃən]: n. 下層住宅高檔化，鄉紳化，（地區的）貴族化，紳士化。紳士化指一箇舊區從原本聚集低收入人士，到重建後地價及租金上升，引來較高收入人士遷入，並取代原有低收入者。

Once described as 'poor, but sexy', Berlin has seen its housing costs double over the last decade as employees lured by the strong job market move into the city.

柏林曾被描述爲“雖然窮但是性感”，後來因受到強勁就業市場的吸引，人們紛紛搬到柏林工作，導致柏林的房租在過去十年間漲了一倍。

The sharp rent hikes have led some residents to ponder radical solutions, including pushing for the seizure of housing stock from powerful landlords.

房租猛增導致一些居民開始考慮激進的措施，包括呼籲從大業主手中奪走房產。

ponder['pɑndɚ]: vt. 仔細考慮；衡量

housing stock: 住宅；住房存量

Alarmed by the trend, Berlin's city government agreed Tuesday on the outlines of a draft law that would include a temporary freeze on rents for five years from 2020, with a bill now to be drafted.

這一趨勢令柏林市政府感到不安，於是上週二政府通過了一項綱要草案，其中包括從2020年起五年內房租暫時停止上漲，目前正在起草法案。

For decades after German unification in 1990, the capital was a magnet for artists, musicians and students drawn by housing far cheaper than in other major European cities - partly the legacy of its decades marooned inside East Germany as a mere satellite of the West's economy.

1990年德國統一後，幾十年來首都柏林一直以廉價房租吸引着藝術家、音樂家和學生。柏林房租比其他歐洲大城市都要便宜得多，一部分是由於過去數十年東德的經濟一直附庸於西德的遺留影響。

maroon[mə'run]: v. 使孤立

satellite['sætəlaɪt]: n. 隨從

But around 40,000 people a year have moved to Berlin in the last decade, and rents have more than doubled since 2008, according to a study by the online housing portal . A record influx of refugees in 2015 has not helped, experts say.

但根據房產門戶網站的一項研究，在過去十年間，每年約有4萬人移居到柏林，自2008年以來房租已經漲了一倍多。專家表示，2015年涌入的大量難民進一步推高了房租。

Some 85 percent of Berliners rent their homes rather than owning them. Proposals to help them had ranged from expropriating large property owners to speeding up affordable housing projects.

約85%的柏林人沒有自己的住房，都是租房住。爲了幫助解決柏林人的住房問題有各種提議，從徵用大業主的房產到加速經濟適用房的建設。

expropriate[ɛks'proprɪet]: vt. 沒收，徵用；剝奪

The cap means 'protection against rent increases for 1.5 million apartments,' tweeted the Berlin government's department for urban development and housing.

柏林政府城市發展與住房部發推文稱，限制令意味着“針對150萬套公寓房租上漲實行的保護措施”。

Under the plan, landlords who seek to raise rates because of renovation work will also have to seek official approval for any increases above 50 cents per square meter.

根據這一草案，由於翻修房屋而計劃漲房租的房東在每平米漲價超過50分的情況下必須獲得官方批准。

Only social housing and private property that has not been let out would be exempt.

只有社會保障房和沒有出租的私人房產可以不受該草案限制。

The move is being closely watched across Germany, where a backlash is growing over fears that residents are being priced out of key cities.

整個德國都在密切關注這一舉動，因爲各大城市的居民都在擔心會租不起房，抵制情緒也越來越強烈。

In an indication that the Berlin example could snowball into something wider, the SPD, has pledged to champion such rent controls nationwide.

德國社會民主黨暗示柏林的範例會引發更廣泛的改變，並承諾要在全國推行房租限制令。

champion['tʃæmpɪən]: vt. 支持；擁護

'We need a rent price cap for all of Germany,' said Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel, one of the three interim SPD leaders.

德國社會民主黨的三位臨時領袖之一索斯藤·謝弗-古恩伯說：“我們需要在全國推行房租限制令。”

He argued that the measure would help 'win time to build, build and build'.

他指出，這一措施有助於“贏得時間來建更多更多的房”。

Merkel herself has voiced skepticism about such caps, warning that 'we must also provide an environment for people to want to build'.

德國總理默克爾則對限制令表示懷疑，她警告說：“我們也必須營造一個有利於建房的環境。”

'It must remain advantageous and attractive to invest in residential property.'

“住宅地產投資仍需保持優勢和吸引力。”

While the political climate in Berlin is turning against landlords, the influential property-owners association Haus und Grund has said it would not be cowed.

儘管德國的政治氣候不利於業主，但頗具影響力的業主聯合會Haus und Grund表示他們不會受脅迫。

cow[kaʊ]: vt. 威脅，恐嚇

In a clear call for pre-emptive action, the association had urged members to raise rents by Monday night (June 17).

該協會已敦促會員在6月17日前漲房租，這顯然是爲了先發制人。

pre-emptive[pri'emptiv]: adj. 先發制人的

Although there are still huge swathes of unbuilt land and new construction mushrooming across the city, much of what is coming onto the market is out of reach for low-income locals.

儘管柏林還有大塊土地可以用於建房，各處的新樓盤也如春筍般拔地而起，但是大部分進入市場的樓盤都是低收入的本地居民買不起的。

mushroom['mʌʃrʊm]: vi. 迅速增加

The rates in Berlin are still below those in key capitals around the world.

如今柏林的租金依然低於世界主要國家的首都。

However, average rent prices in Berlin have pushed past 10 euros per square meter per month, according to a recent study by a real estate group CBRE Berlin and German mortgage bank Berlin Hyp AG.

但是，根據房地產集團CBRE Berlin和德國抵押貸款銀行Berlin Hyp AG近日發佈的一項研究報告，柏林的平均房租已經超過了每月10歐元每平米。

The rental freeze debate comes as residents are trying to seize the initiative by pushing for a referendum to seize buildings from landlords with more than 3,000 apartments.

在全民熱議房租停漲之時，試圖奪取主動權的柏林居民正在推動一項市民公投，從擁有3000套以上房產的地產商手中徵用房產。

referendum[,rɛfə'rɛndəm]: n. 公民投票

On Friday, the initiators of the citizens' vote said they had cleared the first hurdle by obtaining 77,001 signatures - more than three times higher than the 20,000 needed to launch such a referendum.

上週五，這項公投的發起者稱，他們已經獲得了77001個簽名，比發起公投所需的2萬個簽名超出了三倍多，掃清了第一道障礙。

For the Tagesspiegel newspaper, the trend of runaway rents and growing revolt grew out of from the government's failure to tackle the problem.

《每日鏡報》指出，房租失控和反抗情緒的高漲源於政府無力解決這一問題。

'If the rental cap splits the government, then that's something that it brought upon itself: because for far too long, far too little has been built. But the call for new construction alone won't help.'

“如果房租限制令讓政府內部出現分裂，這是他們自找的：因爲政府建的房屋太少了，這已經持續了太長的時間。但是光是新建房屋並不能緩解事態。”