This article collects the experiences of our Buddies who have found some tips and tricks to find accommodation in Germany quickly and could serve as a newcomer guide for all those who are new to Germany!

If you are a newcomer to Berlin, the first and foremost thing that will stress you out in finding a room. Especially, in a bigger city like Berlin, it is very difficult to find an accommodation quickly due to many reasons.

There are a lot of ways to find accommodation in Berlin but many newcomers do not know these options.

Facebook 

here are groups which usually have keywords like “WG”, “Wohnung”, “Zimmer”, “Erasmus”, “Studenten WG”, “Short term accommodation”, “Apartments”.. / “in Berlin”. Search for these groups and join all of them. Every day, there will be a lot of posts being shared by people who are offering rooms and also who are looking for a room. You can share a post with all your details in these groups so that people who are offering rooms could get in touch with you. Beware of the scams in these groups (most of them are listed below).

Platforms 

Most prominent ones are WG-Gesucht and Immobilienscout. WG-Gesucht has 2 options: either you can share your request that you are looking for a room, or search for offers. Here, you can search for short term, shared apartments, flats or houses. Most of the international students or non German-speaking population find it difficult to get a reply from the application. One reason is that they apply in English. Other reason is that the application is not convincing. There is quite a lot of competition in these platforms for each offer, so the application has to be very convincing. On MyHelpBuddy, our Buddies help newcomers in writing a good application in German and also guide them on how to successfully find accommodation through these platforms. If you need help in this regard, you can share your request here.

Private accommodations

Apart from platforms, there are also private apartments in every city, mostly having their own website and application process. Search for such apartments or student housing in the city and try to call them to ask whether there is a vacancy. In some companies, only students are allowed and in others, it is open for everyone. Check out “Studentendorf/ Studentendörfer” in the city as well.

WhatsApp groups

There are quite a lot of community groups which are pretty active and engaging. You could find such group invites from Facebook groups. Do join them and share your request to speed up your chances.

Effective Communication

It is important to communicate effectively with your potential landlord once you get the appointment. In many cases, the landlords might not know English and they prefer to communicate in German. But no worries, you can easily Book a Buddy in our platform, starting from just 25€ who is a native German speaker, to accompany you for the apartment visits and discussions with your landlord, serving as an interpreter.

Contract

Read the contract properly for the terms and conditions, especially in regard to caution. Usually, you should sign a sub contract which lists all the equipment and furniture which is available in the apartment, damages existing and also the terms of how should surrender the apartment. Sometimes, you might have to paint the apartment while starting the contract or when you close the contract. Make sure you read carefully about when the caution will be given to you back after moving out and also about potential Nebenkosten (additional expenses). If you would like to translate your contract and get explanation about the terms, you can share your request in MyHelpBuddy and find someone who could help you.

Here are some topics that you should definitely discuss with your landlord before signing the contract: 

Understanding the scams

We have listed and explained some scams prevalent in accommodation search here. Do have a look at it and be aware of them

Mail from a landlord living in another country

This is a typical scam that most of us have encountered. Once you send a message to a potential accommodation option through any website, you might receive a detailed mail stating that the landlord is living in UK, Poland or any other country and all the processes can be completed through mails. The landlord will send beautiful pics, detailed information about the house and how he/she can send the room keys. You can find statements like “Since I am abroad, I cannot arrange an appointment for you. You can send me the deposit through money transfer and I will post you the keys”. Predominantly, this type of scam is aimed at newbies who do not know German, as these mails are sent in English.

Unreliable brokers

Some people might message you in social media or through E-Mails asking for money to arrange appointments to visit houses. Most of them are identified as scam. Any agency who maintains apartments do not ask for money for visits. The message will be always from the registered agency mails.

Spooky sites

Some websites where you can just see a landing page without credible information or listings is potentially a scam. Make sure that you do not transfer money without seeing the room by yourself, speaking to the landlord or the company and verifying its credentials. Usually, only after signing a contract in many cases, the first transfer shall be initiated.

What is MyHelpBuddy?

MyHelpBuddy is a platform where any international student or expat can ask for help and find people who are ready to support. For example, if you need help in finding accommodation, accompanying to visits, translation and explanation of contracts, German Bureaucracy, certified translations, interpreter to accompany you to registration, foreign office, etc, you can post your request and get connected with Buddies.

If you are someone who is living in Germany and would like to become a Buddy and offer support to newbies, you can REGISTER AS A BUDDY and post your offer.