It’s common knowledge among foreigners moving to Germany that if you find a good flat in a good neighbourhood at a good price, from a good landlord, you should be saying, “Yes, yes, 100 times yes!” – to almost anything that the rental contract throws at you.
Buy the parquet floorboards from the previous tenants — the ones already fitted perfectly in every room – for 600 euros? Yes!
Buy the toilet roll holder for 5 euros so the previous tenants don’t have to dismantle it from the bathroom wall? Also yes!
Buy the dishwasher that’s already neatly installed in the kitchen for 450 euros? Yes, obviously!
Buy the questionably attached skirting boards that line the sides of the apartment and come loose whenever your foot brushes them? Yes!
Should you be surprised that there are no curtains? No.
Should you be discouraged that, despite not being a qualified electrician, you will likely have to attach lights to the exposed wires dangling from your ceiling? Also no.
Gratitude is powerful.
I didn’t fully appreciate these quirks of renting in Germany until I moved into my first unfurnished flat alone in March 2021, during my fourth year of living in Hamburg. Before that, I’d lived exclusively in furnished flatshares (or Wohngemeinschaften), where the most I’d ever had to buy was a bed, a mattress and a few optimistic houseplants that fought for their lives.
Tips for moving into a rental flat in Germany
Check for an Indexmiete
Your anxiety will thank you for checking. An Indexmiete clause ties your rent directly to Germany’s Consumer Price Index, meaning your rent rises automatically with inflation. This might sound harmless – in the low-inflation years before 2021, tenants barely noticed the increases. But, since inflation spiked, some renters have faced annual rent hikes. Unlike standard rental contracts, there’s no cap on how much an Indexmiete can increase. If you’re signing a new contract, look carefully for this clause and think about whether you’re comfortable with that kind of unpredictability.
Be willing to buy off your previous tenants
Agreeing to buy items from outgoing tenants instantly makes you a more attractive applicant. That’s because it saves them the trouble of dismantling, transporting or disposing of everything. Think of it as an extremely expensive appeasement strategy.
Check whether the flat in question comes with a kitchen
Yes, even rental flats. In Germany, kitchens are often treated like personal property. It’s not unusual for tenants to remove their entire kitchen when they move out, or for incoming tenants to refuse to buy the existing one.
You can buy used kitchens online (eBay Kleinanzeigen just returned 2,000-plus results for used kitchens in Hamburg). But I have yet to meet anyone who has successfully transported and reinstalled a kitchen elsewhere. The logistics and logic of this procedure go beyond my comprehension.
Register your address legally at the Amt
Once you’ve moved in, you’ll need a signed landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) to register your address at your local Amt. This registration updates your official address – and, indirectly, informs Germany’s public broadcasting service ARD of your new address. The bill will follow soon like clockwork.
Join a Mieterverein
A Mieterverein (tenant association) is one of the smartest investments you can make as a renter in Germany. You get access to lawyers who can review your contract, challenge dodgy rent increases and negotiate with your landlord on your behalf.
This is a clever, clever move for a foreigner who might be perceived as easy to exploit by opportunistic landlords.
If these kinds of landlords try to pull the wool over your eyes, they will think twice if you utter “I’ll check with my Mieterverein.”
Get ready to do some DIY
Let there be light – once you’ve dealt with those cables poking out of your ceiling. Welcome to deutsches DIY. If you’re installing lighting yourself, turn the fuse off. Or, better yet, hire someone who knows what they’re doing. You’d be surprised at how many switched-on people I’ve spoken to who have managed to electrocute themselves while installing lighting. Pun intended.
Screws are allowed
You’re allowed to drill and screw things into the wall – provided you restore them to a reasonable state when you move out. This was a revelation after my UK student rentals, where Blu Tack wasn’t even technically permitted.
Check your pet policy
Always check whether pets are allowed. While landlords cannot legally forbid pets outright in many cases – even if the contract claims otherwise – this is a grey area and worth clarifying. Get any agreement in writing.
Prepare to live without Wi-Fi for a while
I spent months with minimal furniture and no Wi-Fi. After moving in March 2021, my internet wasn’t fully sorted until June or July that year. This made waiting for furniture deliveries while trying to work remotely a nightmare.
That was until I exploited my upstairs neighbour’s generosity – and his password. Waiting times and getting installation appointments confirmed can take time.
Be ready to take everything with you when you move out
Floorboards, kitchen, dishwasher, washing machine – if they weren’t there when you arrived and the next tenant doesn’t want them, they’re coming with you. My boyfriend had to get his entire carpet removed when he left his previous flat to move in with me (and in all fairness, I don’t blame that tenant for refusing to keep the carpet). But you can hope that the next tenants will do you a favour (like I did) and just buy everything you’re not taking.
I won’t beat around the bush – or, as the Germans say, “talk around the hot porridge.” Finding a rental property in a busy German city like Hamburg is incredibly difficult. Connections go far, and it’s common for flat viewings to feel like small networking events, with a lot of schmoozing going on.
It also feels as though people are flat‑hugging here more than ever – clinging onto apartments for dear life and staying put far longer to avoid the rental price hikes.
So, if your rental application is accepted – especially for an unfurnished flat – know that a toolbox is the most important interior décor you own. Your creative vision will need to be supported by at least a basic understanding of electrical wiring – or the sense to call a professional to handle the worms poking out of your ceiling.
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Read more about Germany here in Dispatches’ archives.
Sara Vordermeier
Sara Vordermeier is a Hamburg-based freelance writer and editor specialising in sports, technology and culture stories from her life abroad. Her professional writing experience spans more than seven years in the fields of content marketing, organic search trends and journalism.
