Finding Accomodation

There is no campus system at German institutions of higher education. Students have to look for their own accommodation in the vicinity. Finding a room or flat is probably the biggest hurdle you will have to surmount during your stay in Germany because living space in most German towns is both expensive and can be hard to come by. There might not be enough places in student residences, but you can also look for private rooms which are quite cheap.

The Foreign Student Office
The Foreign Student Office at the place where you will be studying can tell you about vacancies in student residences and application procedures. Get yourself put on the waiting list for an apartment in a guest house belonging to the institution, although the waiting list may take anything up to a year and there is no guarantee that you will get a place at all. Some Foreign Student Offices are able to put you in contact with private landlords if students have passed on the name and address at the end of their research period. If you are satisfied with your own accommodation you are kindly requested to do so, too, when you return home.

Student Services and AStA
Student Services and AStA at some insitutions have produced brochures containing advice for flat-hunters in the respective towns. Get this sent to you. Student Services and the AStA social section are also responsible for allocating places in student residences. Get in your application early and get your name on the waiting-list! Student Services also have addresses of private residences. A room in a student residence costs between €100 (but only in the new states) and €300 per month. Some residences offer a restricted number of places for families. On the whole they offer single and double rooms with several students sharing a kitchen and possibly bathroom facilities, too. In the new states rooms are often shared by several students. Some foundations have their own guest houses. If you have received a scholarship enquire at the foundation.

Student Accommodation Agencies
At some institutions Student Services and AStA have organised accommodation agencies. Those searching are given about 3 addresses to contact. Any one address will not be given to more than 3 people on any one day. You have to pay a deposit for the addresses which will be returned to you next day when you bring them back and report whether you have decided on one of them.

House-sharing agencies (“Mitwohnzentralen”)
In many towns with institutions of higher education there are agencies letting furnished or unfurnished rooms to private tenants for a period of days, weeks or months. They also offer rooms in shared-housing (“Wohngemeinschaften”), occasionally for longer periods. You do have to pay a commission if you find somewhere but the tenancy agreements are checked by lawyers and offer you an initial degree of legal security so that you can study the housing situation in the vicinity of your institution in peace.

What is highly recommendable is the first international house-sharing agency for students in Germany, “Livin”, which organises student accommodation exchange in various countries. In comparison with other house-sharing agencies “Livin” has the major advantage that private landlords know in advance that their tenants will be foreign students only staying a certain period of time. The charges are well below those of other agencies. Commission is charged on the basis of the length of stay and the size of the rent and ranges from € 55 (1 month) to € 230 (from 6 months). Other agencies, on the other hand, charge a sum of between one third of one month’s rent and 1.5 months’ rent according to the duration of the stay. If you offer your accommodation at home for someone else to live in you will receive a rebate. “Livin” is based in Münster but arranges accommodation all over the Federal Republic. Contact Eva Vielmo, Horst 63b, 48720 Rosendahl, Tel.: +49-(0)2566-96669, Fax.: +49-(0)2566-96668. Business hours: Monday to Wednesday, 10 to 3.

Other agencies can be contacted anywhere in the country via the Ring Europäischer Mitwohnzentralen (REM) by dialling the local code followed by the telephone number 19430. The German law of agency forbids agencies and brokers from charging commission until a legally-binding tenancy agreement has been signed. So never ever pay any charges in advance. Have an “accommodation request” (Vermittlungsauftrag) sent to you which you can fill in and return. After this, you should enquire at regular intervals. You usually have to provide a copy of your identity card and, as a student, a parental guarantee with a copy of their EC- or credit card. Scholarship-holders should provide a copy of their award certificate if it cites the amount of the monthly stipend.

Looking for accommodation on the spot
If you have not been successful finding somewhere to live via the channels mentioned above you will have to look on the spot for accommodation. Please be aware that making use of the services of an estate agent is very expensive – you rather establish contact with your future landlord by yourself. Unlike in New Zealand, landlords like to meet the future tenants and get to know them.

Try the following local channels to find a flat:

Notice Boards
AstA and Student Services (Studentenwerk) put up large notice boards where notices searching for or offering accommodation, selling items etc. can be posted. You will also find notice boards in the department and the Mensa but these are usually covered with notices searching for rooms. Watch out for notice boards outside the institution, in supermarkets, student cafés and meeting places. Ask other students or AStA where you should look.

Newspapers
Once or twice a week local newspapers print advertisements, including accommodation. Competition is fierce and it is not enough to know which day the advertisements appear. You have to be alert and get hold of the paper as early as possible. Enquire at the newspaper offices when accommodation adverts are included. As soon as you have selected potential adverts, ring the landlord and try to arrange a viewing appointment.

It cannot do any harm to place an advertisement yourself. If you are prepared to take a room in shared accommodation (“WG”) it might be worth putting an advertisement in the local town magazine.

Renting accommodation

Bond
Most landlords ask for a bond of between 1 and 3 months’ rent which will be refunded to you when you move out. However, should any damage have been done to your accommodation the landlord is allowed to withhold the sum required to repair the damage from the bond. The landlord must ensure that you receive the current rate of interest for the whole period.  It is recommended that you check these details in advance.

Tenancy Agreements
Before signing a tenancy agreement you should read it carefully. Standard tenancy agreements can be purchased in stationers’ shops or downloaded at http://www.formblitz.de .

Take one with you when you are due to sign a contract. Tenancy agreements tend to be unlimited and can be terminated by the tenant or the landlord with a three month notice. Apart from the amount of rent, the bond (and interest due) should be cited and it must be clearly stated whether you are responsible for re-decoration when you move in or when you move out (otherwise you may have to re-decorate twice). The amount for extra costs should be quoted as well as the conditions for increasing the rent. In the case of furnished accommodation there should be an inventory which you should go through in the presense of the landlord when you move in. If you find any defects or damage draw up “the minutes of the transfer” (Übernahmeprotokoll) together with the landlord, register these defects. The landlord should sign the minutes but they remain in your possession. The general house rules contained in the agreement stipulate whether and when you have to clean certain parts of the building (staircase, entrance hall, cellar) and whether you are responsible for any repairs.

If you need help with the tenancy agreement, contact the German Tenants’ Association (Deutscher Mieterbund, DMB). They can provide you with a similar standard agreement as well as various brochures on accommodation:
Deutscher Mieterbund e.V.
Aachener Straße 313
50931 Köln
Tel.: +49-(0)221-94 07 70