Getting a German Apartment

The plan was to live in Tambach-Dietharz for my time in Germany.  The bungalow was not being used, and it already had power, water, and – most importantly – Wifi.  I was going to live for the first year with very few expenses and then see if I wanted to extend my stay in T-D through 2020.  I have failed.

When I started my internship at the bakery, the five minute walk to “work” was great.  After I started my internship at the butchery, the 90 minute bus and train commute sucked.  I found myself booking Airbnb stays each week in Erfurt just so the commute was shorter (35 minutes) and so I had more transit options (T-D has bus service every other hour between 7 AM and 9 PM).  And as I have become more involved in evening activities, the desire to arrange weekly pickups after bus service had ended became annoying and frustrating.  In the middle of May, I began my apartment search in Erfurt.

The Pre-Application Process

There are dozens of websites dedicated to finding an apartment in Germany.  Very few, however, have a website construct that is user friendly.  And the many people I talked to about my search all had favorites that they recommended I use.  In general, I stuck with an app that allowed me to filter for ones with an existing kitchen (I did not want to build my own) and one that was near the medieval, central part of town.

Yes, it is important to note that most apartments in Germany do not come with a kitchen.  The apartments have all the hookups, but each tenant usually brings their own appliances and then fits in the countertops and cabinetry to the space.  Generally, the only existing contents are the bathroom fixtures.  When the apartment comes with a kitchen, the rent is always higher to reflect the use of the appliances and cabinetry.

The app allowed me to email the landlords or, more commonly, the property managers.  I did not get responses from about 50 percent of these inquiries because the expectation is that you call.  I hate talking on the phone in English, so you can imaging my excitement to do so in German.  The process would, regardless, end up with a phone discussion to determine when I would like to set up a viewing (Besichtigungstermin).

I would then show up at the appointed time and sometimes discover that I was one of many to see the apartment; there’s nothing like a little competition.  And the person showing the apartment would not be the person I talked to on the phone.  We would spend a couple minutes seeing the apartment (all of the apartments I saw were extremely small (i.e., affordable)).  We would then check out the backyard, and some comment would be made about bikes and grilling.  Then we would check out the basement, which is intended for storage, but noticeably also a perfect lagering temperature (just sayin’).

If I passed this round, the host would then either give me the application or give me an email address to contact about getting an application (“I will let this third person know that you viewed the apartment”).  It is expected that you fill out the form, provide all required documentation, and return it as soon as possible.  Remember that these showings are marathon events with many participants.

The documentation requested is usually proof of income, previous landlord’s contact information, and sometimes a credit-score-like document (SCHUFA-Auskunft (there is a free process via post to receive this; it takes forever)).  As I do not have any salary, I always wrote a lengthy cover letter describing the purpose of my time here and how I am able to pay rent through savings and some other miscellaneous income.  This was not always helpful, but I never got turned away for not having a salary.  Know that I also offered to pay larger security deposits or upfront rent, which was never accepted.

The Application

Now that I have made it to this final stage, I gathered up all of the information that was requested and a formal cover letter explaining my situation and headed to a ‘print shop’ where I could scan the package and ship it off for review.  This cost me approximately €3 for each application even though I was really just scanning the same documentation.

Without fail, the property manager would respond back that my application was unusual, and they would need more information about my visa (“I see that it expires in 7 months”).  I had provided some standard responses that all visas are one year in length and that I am able to renew it each March.  The property manager would then send my application, along with five to ten others, off to the owner.

The Rejection

This was frustrating.  There was an initial efficiency apartment where I negotiated with the owner regarding a security deposit.  A normal deposit was €550; I offered to put down €1000.  He countered with €1500, to which I agreed.  Where I am from, that means we have a deal.  As I continue to pressure the property manager to send me the contract so that I would sign it, I was informed that the owner changed his mind.

However, for other apartments, you generally just stopped hearing from the property manager.  I did, though, get some very terse responses: “We cannot rent you the apartment.”

The Solution

So, the right answer to finding an apartment: Tell everyone you know that you are looking for an apartment.

A friend from tap class overheard someone from her painting class talk about needing to sell his furniture and other belongings because he was moving to Nuremberg.  When she told me, I was still waiting on the rejection listed above, so I didn’t act.  When I did finally reach out, I learned that he was selling his kitchen along with the furniture.

As luck would have it, the current renter was an English teacher.  He came across as honest when he described the quality of what he was selling, and appropriately depreciated the cost.  After my viewing, he personally walked me to the property management office where he helped clarify anything I did not understand (not the what, but often the why).

The Acceptance

Now that the contracts are signed, we agreed on a price for the stuff he is leaving behind, he set up the key transfer meeting, and is providing me instructions on how to set up electricity and internet.  Interestingly, the key transfer ceremony is to last for over an hour when all parts of the rental unit are carefully inspected by the outgoing-tenant, the incoming-tenant, and the owner!

The key transfer ceremony concludes with the changing of the name on the mailbox.  The festivities are set for July 31.

To summarize from my viewpoint, my application for this apartment, near enough to the medieval center, was successful because I was the only one who knew about it.  And although I was looking for a small efficiency, I landed a large one-bedroom.  And as I will own the kitchen, the rent is lower than most of the studios I saw.  (The cost of the kitchen will be “paid off” given the difference in rent within 6 months!)

Rental Contract Oddities

• All furniture “must be” at least 5 cm away from the wall
• Blinds may not be closed halfway for fear of thermal expansion and glass breakage
• Quiet hours are 10 PM to 7 AM, as well as 1 PM to 3 PM (German siesta?)
• Showering after 10 PM is frowned upon (but not forbidden)
• The tenant is responsible for small repairs
• The tenant is expected to paint the:
  • Kitchen and bathroom every five years
  • Living room, bedrooms, and hallways every eight years
  • Doors, windows, and other things every ten years
• The tenant also must repaint all walls when moving out
• And I apparently have to pay the cost for the meter-reader