All you need to know about finding an apartment in Germany
The complete guide + tips on searching for a rental like a local!
Moving to a new country means facing systems you don’t know much about. As a foreigner in Germany, I’ve learned tricks from locals over the years on how they search for a home. Here is all of that information compiled into one guide.
Basics before starting the search
- A shared rental apartment is called a WG (pronounced as ‘ve ge’, Wohngemeinschaft) in German.
- Always ask if KVR is possible when looking for a flat rental — When moving in Germany, you have to register at the townhall (KVR). This is important for your tax, national ID, bank accounts etc. For the KVR registration, the landlord needs to sign a document stating that you live here. Sometimes, landlords do not want to do this for evading tax or if they are leasing that flat temporarily while traveling.
- Schufa is your credit score report. Landlords sometimes request this to assess your credibility. This article explains it well.
- Cold vs Warm rent: Warm rent (Warm-miete) is the cost of rental including charges like electricity, internet, heating, water etc (called Nebenkosten). If you see the Kaltmiete / cold rent price of an apartment, then expect a few hundred euros per month additional charges.
- Furnished vs unfurnished: Unfurnished apartments (Unmöbiliert) in Germany do not have a kitchen sink/platform and sometimes no electrical fittings. Though a cheaper option in the long run (>2 years), it needs more work. You could take a fully furnished apartment initially and move to an unfurnished one after settling in for a few months.
How to search for an apartment
The best way to find great apartments is through friends (that’s how you find the cheap rentals at good locations). The second best option is to use online platforms like:
- WG Gesucht (my favorite)
- Immo Scout (also very popular)
- Mr Lodge
- Immowelt
- Immobilo
- Zeitwohnwerk
- WG-Suche.de
- Housing Anywhere
- Wohnungsbörse
Honestly I’ve always found a place pretty easily on WG-Gesucht and never had to use any other platforms. They are mostly in German, so you’ll have to apply some Google translate here :)
Real estate agent is another way to search for an apartment but for rentals, In my experience, their services tend to be expensive and the quality of flats subpar, especially for WGs (shared apartment).
Tips for your search criteria
- In larger cities like Munich and Berlin, look for a place close to public transport (< 7 min walking distance to the nearest train station). If you’re close to the train lines, then the city center can be only 10 minutes away even if you’re in the outskirts (where the rent is lower).
- Neighborhoods is not a big concern in Germany. Most of the places are clean, safe and crime-free (relative to other countries). If you’re interested in finding an area with a particular vibe eg. calm with lots of parks or edgy with cafes and events, then check out https://hoodmaps.com/ or search for “neighborhoods in <city>” 😄
Visitation and Rental contract
Once you find some ads that you like, the next steps are to contact the person posting the ad, do a visitation of the apartment and making a rental contract. A quick walk-through of these steps:
Visitations
When contacting someone for an apartment listing, it helps to give a friendly introduction about yourself. This is especially the case for WGs, where people are concerned about who they are sharing the flat with. After the pandemic, a lot of people are doing virtual visitations over a video call.
Checklist for a visitation:
- Points covered in the search criteria: (Is KVR possible? How far is the closest public transport? Does the rent include utilities?)
- Facilities in the house: dishwasher (very important), washing machine, parking, cellar / storage area, kitchen furnishings.
- Facilities close to the house: closest supermarkets, pharmacies, parks etc.
Rental agreement
When you’re done with the visitation and both parties agree to the rental, it’s time to sign the rental agreement. Here are the things you should check for:
- Duration of the agreement.
- Security deposit amount. Terms for its return and charges for damages.
- Monthly rent and additional costs.
- Rent increase information.
- Notice period (usually three months, if you or your landlord wants to cancel the agreement)
- A complete list of furniture, if you rent a furnished apartment.
- Pet rules (whether or not you’re allowed to keep them inside)
- House rules set by the landlord, regarding the repair expenses they will and will not cover.
Wrapping it up
Voila 🎉 you’ve completed the degree on finding an apartment in Germany :) Here are some terms you’ll come across in rental listings that are useful to know:
