Ultimate Guide: How To Get an Apartment With Anmeldung in Germany

Written from the perspective of a ‘Wahlberlinerin’ who has an apartment with Anmeldung

Photo by Jonas Denil on Unsplash; illustration created by the author

I came across Agnes Simigh’s story about how finding a flat in Germany can be a nightmare. I second what she wrote. It’s far from easy, unless you get lucky at first bat, and that rarely happens.

Finding my dream flat in Germany’s capital within an acceptable price range took me one year. I wrote a piece on flat hunting a while back too. I’m revisiting it and pouring it into an easier-to-follow format.

Here, I want to answer some common questions from a foreigner’s/immigrant’s or however you want to call it perspective of finding a flat with Anmeldung or a permanent registration. Although I focus on Berlin, the same tactics can be applied to get a flat anywhere in Germany.

Note: I use the word “flat” and “apartment” interchangeably.

Table of Contents (works only on Desktop, not mobile app)
What you should know about finding a flat with Anmeldung 
#1 The rental market is saturated AF 
#2 Your maximum housing budget = ⅓ of your net income
#3 Be prepared to buy off the current renter’s furniture
#4 Most flats are rented out empty
#5 German-speaking people are preferred…