Living in Germany

Apartments and houses in Germany are normally offered for rent unfurnished.  Prices for renting or buying a property vary according to location. The local rent index will give you an indication of prices (ask in your local authority or town hall).

Looking for accommodation

You will find addresses and contact details here

Wohnungssuche Region Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg

Rental contract

Before you rent a property, make a contract in writing with your landlord.  Before you sign the contract, check which costs are included in the rent and what additional costs you also have to pay. You should also ask your landlord whether you have to pay a security deposit. Security deposit à a maximum of 3 months’ rent excluding additional costs.  You will get this deposit back from your landlord when you move out of the property, if you haven’t caused any damage.

More information at: www.bmj.de/mietrecht

Additional costs

The so-called “cold” or net rent (German: Kaltmiete) does not include additional costs. These additional costs are for example for heating, water, electricity, waste water, property tax, elevator, house cleaning, garden maintenance, lighting, chimney sweeping, insurance, caretaker, communal aerials, washing facilities etc.    The tenant must pay these additional costs on top of the net rent. When the tenant or landlord refers to a “warm” rent (German: Warmmiete), this means that the additional costs are normally included in the monthly rental.

Always ask exactly what the “warm” rent includes and what it doesn’t.

Refuse collection charges and waste sorting

• Refuse collection charges: If the charges for refuse collection are not included in the additional costs, the tenant will have to pay about € 100-200 per year (for 2 people), depending on how much waste they produce.  You can get more information on refuse collection charges at the Waste Management Department (German: Amt für Abfallwirtschaft) at your local authority offices (Landratsamt).
• Waste sorting: There are various different refuse containers in Germany, e.g. for paper, plastics, organic waste, household waste, glass, clothes and shoes, electronic appliances and furniture.  Your local authority (Rathaus, Bürgerservice or Landratsamt) will give you information about waste sorting, or you can ask your neighbours.  Fines may be incurred for incorrect sorting of waste.

Telephone and Internet

It can take several weeks to get a telephone and internet connection.  We recommend you contact a service provider before you move in. There are various different providers in Germany, and many offer cheaper packages for telephone and internet combined.

Radio and television fees

Every property must pay a monthly fee, at present €17.50, for public service radio and television (ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio). Students and trainees who receive financial support, e.g. BAföG, can be exempted from these costs. You can find more information at www.rundfunkbeitrag.de

Cleaning rota (German: Kehrwoche)

The “Kehrwoche” is a typically Swabian invention and is a particular characteristic of our region.  It means you must regularly clean all the communal areas in your building that are used by everyone, e.g. the staircase and hallway. To avoid conflict with your neighbours, ask your landlord or your neighbours how the cleaning rota is organized in your building.

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No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of this information.

Status as at 31.05.2018.