Authorities in Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany, have begun confiscating private dwellings to ease a housing shortage In an unprecedented move, Hamburg authorities confiscated six residential units in the Hamm district near the city center. A trustee appointed by the city is now renovating the properties and will rent them — against the will of the owner — to tenants chosen by the city. District spokeswoman Sorina Weiland said that all renovation costs will be billed to the owner of the properties. Similar expropriation measures have been proposed in Berlin, the German capital, but abandoned because they were deemed unconstitutional. Some Germans are asking what is next: Will authorities now limit the maximum amount of living space per person, and force those with large apartments…