The UK has completely abolished fees (I think) for tenants - I am a reluctant landlord - and I completely agree with that, the power asymmetry in finding housing is already bad enough without allowing blank-cheque negotiations. In my section of Germany, housing is even worse with rent caps and tenant rights, plus a lack of housing. Tenants are hard to move on, so landlords are painfully cautious about getting the rig…
German rental market is one of the things I decided I will never again deal with in my lifetime. There is finite number of refrigerators and washing machines one can buy, finite number of deposit disputes one wants to experience.