I am moving cities because of a job change, in Munich. Together with my partner, Lukas, we are on the search of a 1.5 to 2 room flat in Germany - a living room and a bedroom. In total, within Germany, we have searched for three apartments together in a span of four years. As for Lukas, he probably has had about six apartments in the last ten years. Hence, leveraging his experience plus the ones that we already did together, I think we can be considered very qualified to give quality tips on apartment search in Germany.
In this blog post, I talk about the things to look out for to identify a good apartment in Germany.
1. Build year - from experience, anything after 1990s is acceptable. Ideally above 1995
The year in which the building is built is one of the most important factors when apartment searching as this could mean higher unexpected costs for you in the future. Old buildings very often have poorer thermal insulation than new buildings. This can mean that high heating costs in the winter. Lukas had to once fork out 800 Euros more, in addition to the monthly estimated heating costs that he already pays throughout the year. This happened in a poor thermally insulated building. They are also more likely
Old buildings are also more likely to have poor acoustic insulation and suffer from mould issues on the walls. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Check the walls for mould
Mould can form due to of condensation on walls, especially in poorly insulted buildings that are not well-heated in the winter. Living in a mouldy apartment can be detrimental for health. Speaking from experience, I once lived in a flat that had mould problems. This led to a persistent cough and my nose was stuffy all the time. The problems all went away after I moved out.
3. Try to avoid attics (too warm) or basements (too cold)
Remember hot air rises, cold air sinks! Attics are probably too hot to live in the summer, and basements, too cold in the winter. That is why the comparatively lower rent in comparison to other apartments.
4. Energy efficiency certificate
Request for the energy efficiency certificate from your landlord when viewing the flat. The Energieeffizienzklasse rates the energy demand of a building on a scale from A+ to H. I currently live in one that is bad B to good C on the energy efficiency scale. The apartment is south-facing and stays warm throughout the winter without much heating. As a result, we save quite a bit of heating costs every year.
5. Avoid apartments with a south-facing office / balcony
This is particularly important for those who stay permanently in home office. As the flat can get really hot in the mid to late afternoon, it can become to warm to work. A south facing balcony could also mean that you will not be able to enjoy this space in the afternoon, especially when there is no shade from trees.
6. Consider not only the distance to the workplace, but how well-connected the place is, how frequently the trains and buses come
This tip is useful for people who live in high cost-of-living cities like Munich. Consider living further out to save on rent, especially if there is a train that comes every 20 mins that brings you from your home to the workplace. A hack that I have identified is to live anywhere along the RB16/RE1. Cities like Pfaffenhofen a.d. Ilm and Petershausen still allow you to reach the city center of Munich in under 30 mins, despite living 50km away. These trains also come every 12 mins, hence, it is actually still easy to reach.
7. Any supermarkets and drugstores nearby?
500-600m away is usually considered convenient.
8. Consider other nice to have services nearby
A dentist, general practice clinic, bakery, hospitals are all important amenities that are really useful to have.
9. Other things to consider when renting in Germany
Does the apartment come with a kitchen/washing machine/dishwasher? Apartments in Germany typically do not come with a kitchen. Although, it may be an option sometimes to buy the kitchen from the previous tenant.
Is electricity, Rundfunkbeitrag and internet included in the Nebenkosten? These things are usually not included in the Nebenkosten that you pay every month. It is important to organise an electricity provider on your own, as not doing so can mean that you get charged the a very high price per kWh use. We typically go for the ones from the city - Stadtwerke. They are slightly more expensive than the cheap providers that you get online, but the prices of electricity are more stable in the long run.
Summary
It is June 2024 as I am writing now. My preferred mode of search would be via ImmoScout24. I tried other platforms like Immowelt, but it seems to be flooded with fake apartment listings or Swap apartments(Tauschwohnungen). I also would recommend getting the premium version of ImmoScout24 especially if you have disposable income and limited time.
Otherwise, put together your proof of income, SCHUFA and Mieterselbstauskunft in a single pdf document and start sending them out to potential landlords ASAP. The Wohnungsmarkt is tight! Good luck!