Finding a place to live in East Berlin is hard, despite the fact that the authorities control the housing situation. Even after waiting a long time, many young people still can’t get a flat. They decide to bypass the official route and break the rules by moving into empty pre-war buildings. The GDR calls this “rent dodging”. The building at Fehrbelliner Strasse 7 was the first block of flats in Prenzlauer Berg to be fully occupied.
