Finding reasonably priced accommodation to rent can be difficult in Germany depending on the area you are looking in. This section gives you information about the German housing market, as well as a wide range of tips and tricks for your housing search.
Most Germans in cities live in various forms of urban housing such as apartments and semi-detached houses. Due to the destruction caused during the two world wars, most of today's housing was built after 1950. Old properties (Altbau) usually have been built before 1914, since there was little construction between the wars.
Things to bear in mind on your search
Accommodation prices (both for purchase and rent) are determined by the size of a home which is measured in square metres ( Quadratmeter - qm). In rooftop units, floor spaces where the ceiling is between 1 and 2 metres high are only counted at 50 per cent, so the actual size might appear a lot bigger than you thought.
The second factor to bear in mind is the number of rooms, which includes bedrooms, living and dining rooms. Kitchens, bathrooms and toilets are not included in the room count. A half room indicates an area that cannot be separated by a door or a room that is too small to be fully counted.
Housing in Germany is either let unfurnished, partly furnished, or fully furnished. Unfurnished accommodation is the most common and it really is "unfurnished", i.e. without lamps, curtains, or any kitchen equipment. Moving into your first German apartment can be quite a shock: not only are you supposed to supply your own light fittings, but you will literally have to buy and install everything from the washing machine to the kitchen sink. Since this isn't exactly cheap, you should allow extra in your budget to get established. A furnished kitchen is usually mentioned separately in advertisements.
Getting started
How to prepare your housing search
Looking for an apartment in Germany can be a time-consuming and nerve-wracking experience. Whatever you do, give yourself plenty of time as you will be much more likely to get what you are looking for this way.
It's best to start looking before you leave or plan for free time to be dedicated to the search. If you are coming with your family, it may be more comfortable for them to arrive after you have found suitable accommodation. If you are arriving alone, the best solution may be to initially stay in a hotel/guest-house or with friends or acquaintances.
Unless you want to depend on getting lucky, you should consider several options for your apartment search. The most important thing is to have a very clear idea of what you're actually looking for, or it is very easy to waste time. The best start is to get familiar with your new environment by walking around, seeing how transport works and asking other people about different neighbourhoods and areas.
On arrival in Germany, you may find it necessary to stay in temporary accommodation for a few weeks or months until you can move into an apartment. Many hotels and bed-and-breakfast establishments cater for long-term guests and offer reduced weekly or monthly rates.
There is a wide range of options when looking for an apartment. As always in life, the more you're willing to pay (i.e. for an agent), the easier your search will be. For an efficient search, you should be familiar with the basic rental terms in Germany, especially with the difference between cold rent ( Kaltmiete) and warm rent ( Warmmiete). The latter includes additional costs such as garbage disposal, cleaning costs and sometimes water and heating. See our section on contracts for further information.
To get you going, Just Landed has compiled a wide range of tipps on where and how to look for accomodation:
* Classified ads
* (Real) estate agents
* Temporary and short-term accomodation
* Student accomodation
