How to find an apartment in Germany

Finding new accommodation is generally a demanding task that takes a lot of time. Things are even more complicated when you're moving abroad. Fortunately, students in Germany have several options to choose from. You can request a room in a student dormitory or find private accommodation outside. In any case, we strongly recommend starting your search early, ideally after receiving the admission letter from your university.

In this article, we'll briefly introduce you to some types of accommodation in Germany and how to find them.

1. Student Dormitory

Every university city has several student dormitories. A room in a dormitory is often the cheapest accommodation you can find. However, student dormitory rooms are in high demand at certain universities. We therefore suggest requesting a room as soon as you receive the admission confirmation from your German university. Applications are processed by the Studentenwerk (student services organization), which manages room allocations.

On the Studentenwerk website, you can find all the information about dormitory locations, types of accommodation, prices, etc.

To access the Studentenwerk website for your city, you can type "Studentenwerk" followed by the city name in Google. Since the Studentenwerk is responsible for many things beyond accommodation, it's best to check the "Wohnen" section, which means "living." Use filters to select the accommodation that suits you best. You can also use criteria such as the part of the city where you'd like to live. To get more information about the area and its condition, you can use Google Maps.

It generally takes between 2 and 6 weeks for your application to be processed, so the sooner the better. You should start looking as soon as you receive your admission letter. The International Office is also responsible for room allocation in student dormitories at some universities. If that's the case, ask the International Office how to get a room on site.

2. Private Accommodation

Sometimes it can be difficult to live in a dormitory due to the large number of international students. In that case, private accommodation can be an ideal solution. There are two types of private accommodation. The first is a shared apartment (Wohngemeinschaft / WG). The second is a studio apartment (1-Zimmer-Wohnung).

A shared apartment (Wohngemeinschaft / WG) means that several people live together in the same apartment. Each person has their own room but everyone shares the kitchen, bathroom, possibly the living room, and the electricity, heating, phone, TV, and internet costs. Shared apartments are very common among students.

As for studios, it's a one-room apartment of 30m2 with a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. Prices vary considerably depending on the city. You can check the website wg-gesucht.de for more information.

When looking for accommodation, you have the option of contacting real estate agencies or individual landlords.

• For real estate agencies, you can search online using the keyword "Genossenschaft + the city name" to find available apartments in your city of residence. However, rooms rented through real estate agencies are generally unfurnished, so you'll have to buy everything yourself.
• For individual landlords, you can contact them through different means, such as going on Facebook and searching for groups by typing "Wuhan + the city name".

Usually, you'll only be able to sign a room or apartment rental contract in person. In other words, it's likely that you'll only be able to rent a private room after arriving in Germany and meeting the landlord.

In terms of contracts, you sign either a rental contract (Hauptmietervertrag) or a sublease contract (Untermietervertrag). While the first type of contract refers to a contract between the legal owner of the property and the tenant, the second concerns the contract between the original tenant, also called the sub-lessor, and another tenant, also called the sub-lessee.

To simplify, if you sign the first type of contract, you're dealing directly with the property owner. But if you sign the second type of contract, your landlord is not the property owner but a tenant just like you. Pay attention to the type of contract you sign, as the conditions can vary considerably and you can also negotiate in different ways.

3. The First Nights

For the first nights after arriving in Germany, you might not have a place to stay. We have some suggestions to help you until you find your own accommodation.

• Hotels - This option is quite expensive but convenient, and if it doesn't take too long before you have your own place, it would be a good choice for you.
• Hostels - You can go for this cheaper option. You can live with other people and make new friends.
• Airbnb - Airbnb is a good choice for a short stay. If you stay with your host, he/she might help you get to know the area where you'd like to live better.
• Studentenwerk/International Offices - Some universities offer short-term accommodation, so contact yours for more information. In some cases, you can go directly to the Studentenwerk to ask for help.

These are some quick notes you should consider before starting to look for accommodation in Germany. After finding one, you might be interested in other things like getting internet access, buying a SIM card, etc. If that's the case, you can check our other articles on these topics! And don't hesitate to contact EDUBAO if you have any questions about anything!