Searching for an Apartment in Germany

Here are the steps to finding a new apartment in Germany

1. Internet Search
2. Request a Viewing
3. Apartment Viewing
4. Application
5. Signing the Contract
6. Remittance of First Month’s Rent and Deposit
7. Moving In

Steps 2 and 3, scheduling viewings and applying for apartments, are the especially difficult part of the process, even so for Germans. Keep reading for tips on how to smoothly find your new home sweet home in Germany.

Searching for apartments on the Internet

The first step in searching for an apartment is to look on ImmoScout24, the most popular real estate website in Germany. Many of the listed apartments are posted on the website by the landlord, not by a real estate agency.

Which is better: Furnished or unfurnished apartments?

Both unfurnished and furnished apartments have their advantages and disadvantages. Fully furnished apartments are pricey, but it takes less effort to find one that fits your needs, because most of the time a real estate agent will be available to help with your search. Getting an apartment without furniture can be a more difficult process, as many problems occur during the search: you may not receive replies to all your viewing requests, or the landlord may suddenly decide not to rent it to you right before signing the contract. The advantage of an unfurnished apartment is that they are more often bigger and newer than a furnished one of the same price.

What are the characteristics of apartments in Germany?

In Germany, an apartment typically will be completely unfurnished. That means that the apartment will be like a big empty box: there will be no kitchen, no ceiling lights, no curtain rails, and no air conditioner.

In Germany, most tenants take their kitchen with them when they move. Apartments with a furnished kitchen are few. If you narrow your search to apartments with a kitchen, you will find that the search results are 1/10 of the results of when you include apartments without a kitchen in your search.

When should I start looking for an apartment?

You should start looking for an apartment around 3-4 months before you plan to move. In Germany, the general rule is for a tenant to submit a notice of cancellation at least 3 months before moving out. Since landlords start listing their properties after they receive the notice of cancellation, many listed apartments will be available within 3 months. Therefore, if you start looking for an apartment 3 to 4 months in advance, you have a good chance to find an apartment that meets your planned moving date. For furnished apartments, the search can be more short-term, since the move-out notification is not always required to be three months in advance, but one or two months.

How to request a viewing

As soon as you find an apartment you are interested in, call or send the landlord an e-mail to request a viewing. Introducing a little bit about yourself would be nice, but simply stating that you are interested in the apartment and want to see it is sufficient.

When will I get a reply from the landlord?

When you submit a request for a viewing, have patience: it is unlikely that a reply will come immediately. If you receive a reply within a week, you are quite lucky. For example, in Aachen, the market price for an unfurnished apartment is around 1000€/80 square meters, and apartments of this rank are flooded with requests for viewings. It may take 2 weeks, or sometimes you may never even receive a reply. On the other hand, if you submit a viewing request for a luxury apartment around 1500€/100m2, you will likely receive a reply the next day.

Can I send a viewing request in English?

You can send a viewing request in either German or English, but the response rate is higher if you send it in German.

Be careful of scams!

Be careful if you receive a reply to your inquiry immediately even though it was not for a luxury apartment, or if the reply is in English even though you sent it in German. It may be a scam that urges you to transfer money for advance rent or deposit. If you feel that something about an apartment advertisement is strange, then it may be a scam. For example, an advertisement for a stylishly furnished apartment in the popular district of Aachen Burtscheid for 650€/80m2 should send off alarms in your head. Although people should become suspicious just judging from the extremely low rent, people tend to jump on such advertisements when the apartment search has been going on unsuccessfully for an extended period of time. When in doubt, carefully re-check the information and the reply. Never transfer money without actually seeing the apartment.

What do I check for during an apartment viewing?

You have at last successfully booked an apartment viewing. Now it’s time to go and check out the actual apartment.

Some things you may want to check for

1. if there is a bathtub (many apartments have only a shower)
2. where to put the washing machine (typically in the basement, but some landlords allow tenants to put the washing machine inside the apartment)
3. where to put buggies and bicycles
4. in case the apartment comes with a kitchen, if there is a dishwasher
5. the surrounding environment, such as supermarkets, parks, playgrounds, or schools

What about the kitchen?

In case the apartment does not have a kitchen, you can either purchase and install the kitchen yourself or negotiate with the previous tenant to take over their kitchen. You can negotiate on the spot if the current resident is available when you visit the apartment, or you can ask the real estate agency to negotiate for you. If there is a kitchen, it is a good idea to check if it is equipped with a dishwasher, as sinks are very small in Germany, where it is not customary to wash a large number of dishes.

Where do I put the baby carriage?

For apartments on the upper floors with no elevator, make sure to ask the landlord where you will be able to put the buggy. If parking the buggy in the public hallway on the ground floor is not allowed, you will have to carry the buggy up and down the stairs every time you go out. Needless to say, that will be hard on your back, especially when your sleeping child is still inside it.

Where will I do the laundry?

Many apartments in Germany have basements. Each household in the building has its own storage space there, and there is also a communal laundry room and laundry drying room. If you are considering taking an apartment on the upper floor without an elevator, keep in mind that you will have to carry your laundry up and down many flights of stairs. In the apartment in Aachen where I used to live, the washing machine could be placed inside the apartment. Nevertheless, some residents put their washing machines down in the basement. Since the room used to hang laundry is typically in the basement, it makes sense to also have the washing machine in the basement.  In Aachen, it is not customary to hang laundry outside, so the large communal drying room is convenient to hang large items such as bed sheets.

What about the surrounding environment?

Don’t forget to check not only the apartment itself but also the surrounding environment. For families with small children, having a supermarket and playground within walking distance can make life a lot easier, and for those who do not have a car, the distance to the bus stop can also be quite important. For an apartment located in a busy area, you may also want to check how noisy the area is at night.

What is the landlord like?

Apartment viewings are often done by the present tenant, and the landlord may or may not participate. If the landlord is present during the viewing, take the opportunity to talk to him/her. It is good to know if the landlord will be communicative with you when problems with the apartment occur. The landlord of the apartment I rented in Aachen was very kind and always ready to help, just as I felt when I met him at the viewing.

Applying for an Apartment

What are the deciding factors in applying for an apartment?

There will always be something about an apartment you visited that may make you unsure if you want to send in an application for it. But trying to find a perfect apartment which check all the boxes may result in a frustrating, never-ending search, especially in a city where the apartment market is competitive. Therefore, deciding on one non-negotiable criterion, and applying for the apartments which fit it may be the shortest, most practical way to finding your new home.

When I was looking for an apartment in Aachen, my one non-negotiable requirement was an elevator. Carrying a buggy up and down the stairs with a child, baby, and the shopping in tow would have been a nightmare, so an apartment with an elevator was for me a must.

When should I apply for an apartment that I like?

The earlier the better. For example, even if you put in an application the next day because you saw the apartment and thought it was nice, there may have been other people who saw the apartment on the same day and put in an application on the spot. Also, when choosing from multiple candidates with similar conditions, many landlords will decide on a first-come, first-served basis. If the apartment you viewed fits your one non-negotiable criterion, then go for it.

The Apartment Contract

The general rule is that a contract must be written in the language of the country. Understanding what is written in a contract can be difficult even in your native language, so when it is written in German, there is the possibility that you may miss some essential parts. Ask a native German speaker to help or use a translating app to get a good grasp of important information such as rent, cancellation policy, and the extent of liability for damages.

Which topics in the contract should I especially pay attention to?

You should check if there is any mention of rent increases, especially if you are planning to live in the apartment for many years. Some landlords include in the contract that the rent will be increased by a few percent every year. A few percent of a month’s rent may not seem to be a large amount of money, but multiply that by 12 months, and imagine that increasing by a few percent every year. The apartment may no longer be affordable for you after a certain number of years.

In addition, be sure to check whether the rent shown in the contract is the Kaltmiete (the price of the room only) or the Warmmiete (the price including the room, maintenance fees, and utility fees).

Remittance of the First Month’s Rent and Security Deposit

You will be allowed to move into your new apartment only after the first month’s rent and security deposit has been remitted. Make sure to schedule the money transfer so that the money reaches the landlord’s bank account before the move-in date. Otherwise, you may not be able to receive the keys to the apartment. In case you have problems transferring the money internationally, it may be possible to bring it in cash on the day you move in, depending on the landlord or real estate agency.

Do you remit the first month’s rent and security deposit together in one transfer?

Many landlords request that the first month’s rent and security deposit be remitted separately. This makes it easier for the landlord to manage how much money is for what purpose, which in turn may also benefit you when the landlord returns the security deposit to you when you move out.

How do I transfer money internationally?

There are several ways to send money: through bank transfer and money transfer services (Wise, Worldremit, etc.). Major Japanese banks charge a fee of 2,000 yen to 6,000 yen, a relay fee, and a receiving bank fee. These add up to a rather hefty sum, but the advantage here is the peace of mind brought on by the reliability of a well-known bank. Some people may feel uneasy sending large amounts of money through money transfer services, but the fees, much lower than major banks, are unbeatable.

Moving in

Once you have remitted the rent and deposit, the apartment is yours to move in. Thus, the long search for an apartment has finally come to an end. But don’t lose your focus just yet. On move-in day, you could spend about 1-2 hours with the landlord or real estate agency checking the apartment. Since signing the move-in confirmation means that you have accepted the apartment as is, be sure to check the entire apartment carefully and thoroughly.

What about the apartment should I check on the day I move in?

Water and gas meters should be photographed immediately when you move in, to make sure you do not mistakenly pay for water and gas used by the previous resident.

In the kitchen, open all cupboards to check for damages and mold inside.

All windows and doors should be checked to see if they can be opened, closed, and locked without problems.

It is a good idea to take a picture or make a note of the number of keys given to you.

Minor damages (such as scratches and dents) on floors, doors, and any other areas belonging to the apartment should also be noted and reported to the landlord within three days of the move-in. You don’t have to worry too much about minor damages on the walls, since walls and ceilings are usually allowed to be drilled and painted, as long as you return them to the original state when moving out. If you find something broken, report it to the landlord immediately to avoid liability and to ask for repairs.

My personal experience

When I was looking for an apartment in Aachen, I was disheartened by the low response rate to all my viewing requests. That was when I found a modern, conveniently located apartment on the internet with rent 30 percent cheaper than a typical apartment of the same size.  I immediately sent a message in German and received a reply in English only an hour later.

“This is an amazing apartment, sophisticated and close to the city center. We are getting a lot of applications, so act quick!”

Though I was elated to receive the reply and felt rushed to sign the contract, I suppressed my eagerness to first ask a few questions. However, the reply I received did not even answer my questions and urged me to transfer money. I became suspicious and went to the listed address, but the apartment was not there. That was when I realized it was a scam. I almost fell victim, but I regained my composure and continued to send out viewing requests to other apartments. Finally, I managed to go to viewings for three apartments. But even there, I was surprised.

At the viewing for the first apartment, I was asked to show proof of how much money I have in my bank account to see if I would be able to pay the rent.

The owner of the second one told me, “I will definitely rent it to you,” only to inform me the next day that he had decided to rent it to someone else.

I had practically given up on my apartment search by the time I visited the third apartment. But alas, there I would finally meet a landlord I could trust. He was very kind and carefully explained to me the details of the apartment, how to dispose of garbage, and information about the local area. I was able to rent the apartment without any problems. In addition, he was always available when I needed help.

I had a hard time finding an apartment especially because my search was limited to one specific area, but in the end, I was more than satisfied with the landlord, the neighbours, and the safety and convenience of the area. Choosing an apartment can be extremely difficult, but worth the effort to ensure quality of life and good living conditions.

Renga

Two of the most difficult aspects of finding an apartment in Germany is “scheduling the apartment viewing” and “applying for the apartment.” The response rate to your viewing requests can be upsettingly low, and even if you sent in your application faster than all the other applicants, that alone will not land you a contract. It will likely take a lot longer than you imagine until you finally can sign the apartment contract.
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