A translated excerpt:
Four friends, all mid-30's, speak about the rent in Berlin. "In the 90's I switched apartments every year, just to try out something new. The rent was so cheap, it was no problem," recounts one. Another says: "When I moved to Neukölln in 2009, I lived the first seven months rent-free. The owner wanted his house, all the way on the end of Weserstraße, not to stand completely empty." The first continued, "Today I wouldn't leave my apartment unless I had to. The neighbors that moved in directly below me pay 200 Euro more than me -- for the same apartment."

...

Somewhat further south, in Schillerkiez, sit Michaela, 32, and Christopher, 27, in their 90-square-meter apartment and look at the newest apartment ads in the area. A three room apartment costs more than 1000 Euro, plus commission for the agent. "My salary would go completely to rent," says Christopher, who works as a construction worker. Michaela, saleswoman, shakes her head. Currently they pay 456 Euro with utilities. The two have lived in the apartment for seven years, their five-year-old son was born here. But in spring they have to leave. The apartment was sold, the new owner claimed owner's use rights. The two decide now to move to Hellersdorf, where Micheala was raised and her mother lives. "There a 80-square-meter apartment still costs under 600 Euro with utilities -- without commission," says Michaela.