Hamburg’s 2025 Mietenspiegel method and 2026 Wohnlagen re‑ratings: what they mean for lawful re‑letting rents in Eimsbüttel, Altona and Hamburg‑Mitte

What changed in 2025: the method behind Hamburg’s Mietenspiegel

Hamburg’s current qualified rent index (Mietenspiegel 2025) is anchored at 1 April 2025 and constructed under §§ 558–558d BGB and the Mietspiegelverordnung. It is a qualified index (§ 558d BGB) compiled by the city’s housing authority with an expert working group and based on a representative survey by ALP Institut. It excludes social housing and units first ready for occupancy after 31 December 2024. The city updates the Mietenspiegel every two years. These features matter for investors because they set the lawful reference rents used both for in‑tenancy rent increases and for rent‑brake checks at re‑letting. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/resource/blob/1125234/4c27733314ff7c3144a31415cea3924c/d-mietenspiegel-broschuere-2025-data.pdf))

Two technical shifts in 2025 affect outcomes. First, the table’s central value is now the median of each field for the first time; earlier indices used the arithmetic mean. Second, the table again relies on the city’s address‑level Wohnlagenverzeichnis to distinguish just two location categories across Hamburg: “normale Wohnlage” and “gute Wohnlage”. For each flat you determine the table field by size band, construction period, basic equipment (bath and central heating), and the location category; then you place the flat within the stated span using quality criteria. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/resource/blob/1125234/4c27733314ff7c3144a31415cea3924c/d-mietenspiegel-broschuere-2025-data.pdf))

The 2025 index also comes with an online calculator and an interactive map to look up the applicable span for an address. The city emphasises that the table is not to be applied mechanically; value‑affecting micro‑features are handled by placing the flat within the span. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/themen/wohnen/mieten/mietenspiegel/mietenspiegel-hintergrund-189816?utm_source=openai))

The press release presenting the 2025 index reported a citywide median net cold rent of €9.94 per m² as of 1 April 2025, a 1.12% increase versus 2023, and noted that around 47,448 dwellings were sampled. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/aktuelles/pressemeldungen/mietenspiegel-2025-kaum-veraenderung-der-durchschnittsmiete-1126100))

What changed in 2026: Wohnlagen re‑ratings and why they matter

The Wohnlagenverzeichnis—the street‑by‑street location list used by the Mietenspiegel—was re‑published by Hamburg’s housing authority on 23 January 2026 and updated again on 4 September 2026. The dataset states that it is not an official register but is intended solely to support correct allocation to the “normal” or “good” location categories for Mietenspiegel purposes. For precise addresses it is provided as map layers and downloads. For investors, the key point is that a block‑side re‑rating from “normal” to “good” shifts the table you must use for that address. ([suche.transparenz.hamburg.de](https://suche.transparenz.hamburg.de/dataset/hamburger-wohnlagenverzeichnis36))

In the 2025 Mietenspiegel rollout Hamburg also highlighted that roughly 2,400 new location classifications had been made in the accompanying Wohnlagenverzeichnis. Combined with the 2026 refresh of the dataset, that means parts of Eimsbüttel, Altona and Hamburg‑Mitte can sit in different location categories today than they did under the 2023 documents. Always check the current dataset for the exact block and house‑number range. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/aktuelles/pressemeldungen/mietenspiegel-2025-kaum-veraenderung-der-durchschnittsmiete-1126100))

Important practicalities: location can change within a neighbourhood, a street, and even from one side of the same street to the other. The brochure explains that micro‑criteria not captured in the general location category are handled via placement within the span of the chosen table field. The location list indicates the evaluated house‑number intervals per block side and supplies a location score; the boundary between “normal” and “good” is a score threshold. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/resource/blob/1125234/4c27733314ff7c3144a31415cea3924c/d-mietenspiegel-broschuere-2025-data.pdf))

How a re‑rating shifts lawful re‑letting rents under Hamburg’s rent brake

Hamburg applies the federal rent‑brake regime city‑wide until 31 December 2029. At re‑letting, the general ceiling is the local reference rent (ortsübliche Vergleichsmiete) for the flat plus 10%, unless a statutory exemption applies (new build first let after 1 October 2014; first let after comprehensive modernisation; or the lawful previous rent was already higher, the Vormiete rule). The city requires landlords to disclose any exemption basis in advance if used. For most inner‑city stock without an exemption, the Mietenspiegel field and location category determine the cap. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/themen/wohnen/mieten/mietenspiegel/mietpreisbremse-189826))

What does a move from “normal” to “good” change numerically? Using the 2025 table’s medians as orientation for an average flat within the span:

- Pre‑1918, 66–<91 m²: normal €11.57/m² vs. good €13.62/m². The rent‑brake caps would be about €12.73/m² and €14.98/m² respectively. That is a roughly €2.25/m² (+17–18%) higher cap if the address is rated “good”. ([grundeigentuemerverband.de](https://www.grundeigentuemerverband.de/gvh/images/beitraege/pdf/d-mietenspiegel-tabelle-2025-data.pdf)) - 1978–1993, 66–<91 m²: normal €9.29/m² vs. good €11.74/m². Caps about €10.22/m² and €12.91/m²; a difference of roughly €2.69/m² (+26%). ([grundeigentuemerverband.de](https://www.grundeigentuemerverband.de/gvh/images/beitraege/pdf/d-mietenspiegel-tabelle-2025-data.pdf)) - Pre‑1918, 41–<66 m²: normal €11.50/m² vs. good €12.93/m². Caps about €12.65/m² and €14.23/m²; a difference of roughly €1.58/m² (+12–13%). ([grundeigentuemerverband.de](https://www.grundeigentuemerverband.de/gvh/images/beitraege/pdf/d-mietenspiegel-tabelle-2025-data.pdf))

These examples illustrate the order of magnitude you will see in Eimsbüttel, Altona and Hamburg‑Mitte when a block side is upgraded to “good” in the 2026 location dataset. The exact lawful rent must still be placed within the field’s span based on the flat’s features and micro‑location, as the brochure instructs. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/resource/blob/1125234/4c27733314ff7c3144a31415cea3924c/d-mietenspiegel-broschuere-2025-data.pdf))

Working steps for Eimsbüttel, Altona and Hamburg‑Mitte addresses

- Check the current location dataset. Use Hamburg’s Wohnlagenverzeichnis entry dated 4 September 2026 to verify the block side and house‑number range. Treat older PDFs you may find on third‑party sites as historical only. ([suche.transparenz.hamburg.de](https://suche.transparenz.hamburg.de/dataset/hamburger-wohnlagenverzeichnis37)) - Determine the Mietenspiegel field from size band, construction period and basic equipment. Then, using the brochure’s criteria, place the flat within the span (never apply the median mechanically). ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/resource/blob/1125234/4c27733314ff7c3144a31415cea3924c/d-mietenspiegel-broschuere-2025-data.pdf)) - Apply the rent‑brake rule: reference rent for the flat plus 10%, unless an exemption clearly applies and is disclosed in writing as required. Keep records of any modernisation cost pass‑throughs used under § 556e BGB. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/themen/wohnen/mieten/mietenspiegel/mietpreisbremse-189826)) - If the lawful previous rent (Vormiete) exceeded the rent‑brake cap, you may keep it at re‑letting, but only up to that level and only with the mandatory pre‑contract disclosure. Failure to disclose limits you to the capped rent. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/themen/wohnen/mieten/mietenspiegel/mietpreisbremse-189826))

Risk note: Mis‑classifying the location or over‑relying on portal asking rents rather than the Mietenspiegel can render a new rent illegal. Tenants can reclaim overpayments for up to 30 months after lease start if they timely object under Hamburg’s guidance. For case‑specific checks, retain a Fachanwältin/Fachanwalt für Mietrecht or consult Hamburg’s tenant associations. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/themen/wohnen/mieten/mietenspiegel/mietpreisbremse-189826))

Data and sources you will need on file

- Mietenspiegel 2025 brochure and table: legal basis, fields, and the change to medians. Download both directly from the city. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/resource/blob/1125234/4c27733314ff7c3144a31415cea3924c/d-mietenspiegel-broschuere-2025-data.pdf)) - Press release (9 December 2025): gives the citywide €9.94/m² median, six‑year look‑back, and notes roughly 2,400 new location classifications. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/aktuelles/pressemeldungen/mietenspiegel-2025-kaum-veraenderung-der-durchschnittsmiete-1126100)) - Wohnlagenverzeichnis dataset page: shows the latest publication date (4 September 2026) and links to map services and downloads. ([suche.transparenz.hamburg.de](https://suche.transparenz.hamburg.de/dataset/hamburger-wohnlagenverzeichnis37)) - Methods report (Wohnlagenverzeichnis 2025): details indicators such as land values, social monitoring index, density and noise. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/resource/blob/1137832/e3612b728fe5a97709052ae7b0a7760a/d-wohnlagenverzeichnis-methodenbericht-2025-data.pdf?utm_source=openai)) - Hamburg rent‑brake explainer and the 2025 ordinance PDFs: state‑wide validity to 31 December 2029 and disclosure duties at re‑letting. ([hamburg.de](https://www.hamburg.de/politik-und-verwaltung/behoerden/behoerde-fuer-stadtentwicklung-und-wohnen/themen/wohnen/mieten/mietenspiegel/mietpreisbremse-189826))