Berlin and other German cities have actual laws against "excessive modernization" of rental properties. The logic: nice apartments attract wealthier tenants, rents spike, neighborhood gentrifies, working people get pushed out. So when a renter installed a shower in his own apartment in addition to the existing bathtub, the state showed up and had contractors rip it out. Too luxurious. Too dangerous for the neighborhood's affordability. It's completely absurd but also completely real. Germany is trying to freeze housing stock in place to stop displacement. What they're actually doing is banning apartment improvements and punishing anyone who tries.