Top Tips For Finding An Apartment As An Expat In Germany

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As I mentioned in our 2022 year end review, this year Charlie and I are thrilled for the opportunity to live abroad as expats in Germany! While this process has been a bit of a roller coaster throughout the last two years (you can read about that journey HERE!), we finally are making plans for life in a new country and are taking steps towards that reality. In preparing for life abroad, one of our most exciting, yet slightly daunting tasks to accomplish, has been to figure out our housing. Thankfully, we are being moved with his company, so we do have help regarding shipping air freight, finding an apartment, getting a visa etc., which takes a huge amount of pressure off of the process. That being said, it is still a very involved process, so  regardless if you are looking to move abroad with a company or entirely solo, these next tips are some of our favorites that we have found most helpful for starting the process of finding an apartment as an expat in Germany. 

Tip #1: Manage Your Expectations 

If you have ever seen an episode of International House Hunters, then you know that stereotypically, Americans have large expectations for size, convenience and general standards of living. While most Europeans have a wonderful standard of living, the size and expectation of the apartments and homes in which they live is frequently quite different. 

Apartment VS. House

The entire country of Germany is approximately the size of the state of Montana and it is the seventh largest country in Europe (source). As the amount of space they have to work with and fit people into is already much smaller than the entire US, you can expect to see many more apartments or duplexes available than freestanding homes. In Munich (located in southern Germany – the state of Bavaria), approximately 69% of the population lived in a flat (apartment) or semi-detached house, (source) so if you are moving abroad, probably don’t expect to find a house to rent in a typical suburban neighborhood. 

Convenience

Convenience can come in many forms, including location and amenities. Growing up in more rural suburbs, my family lived about a 10 to 15 minute drive away from the grocery store, so by many people’s standards, we were “far” from things. That being said, within our home, we had everything you might expect: a washer/dryer, kitchen, shower etc. In Germany, especially the cities, you might find just the opposite, as the proximity to bakeries, restaurants and general location amenities frequently supersede what the apartment initially offers. Since a greater percentage of the population expects to live in apartments for years or even decades at a time, do not be surprised to find an apartment that must be outfitted with what we might call “staple items”. 

Unfurnished Apartments

When renting an unfurnished apartment, be prepared to provide your own washer and dryer, lighting, closet systems and sometimes even kitchen. A “fitted kitchen” does not come standard with many apartments. When searching, be sure to specify that you want a fitted kitchen or that you would be willing to buy the kitchen from the previous tenant. If a previous tenant has a kitchen for sale, then you must negotiate directly with them, apart from the landlord, regarding the kitchen pricing. While this might seem strange, having the ability to design their own kitchen is a plus for many Germans looking to stay in an apartment for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, while we do love a good project, we will not be bringing our tools with us to undergo a kitchen remodel and therefore are sticking with apartments that come with a kitchen already included. Apartments do vary greatly in what they offer though, so beyond the kitchen, we do anticipate the potential of providing our own lighting, storage systems, washer/ dryer and furniture. 

Furnished Apartments

If the thought of outfitting an entire apartment with lighting, furniture, closets and everything else in a foreign country seems a little too daunting, then definitely check out furnished apartments! While furnished apartments also vary greatly, you can expect them to come with kitchens, lighting and (most of the time!) storage/closets already in place for you. 

Tip #2: Interviewing 

This next step was one that previously I had no idea was so different! Unfortunately, we have learned that the apartment rental process is not as straightforward as liking an apartment, submitting an application, and signing a lease. Typically, for an unfurnished apartment there is a great deal of competition. To get an apartment, you frequently must meet with the landlord, submit an application (including who you work for, how much you make, who you are married to etc.) and then they must decide if they want YOU to be their tenant. For unfurnished apartments, most of the competition will be coming from other German citizens . This can be challenging as they are already fluent in the language and frequently are looking to stay for many years, so winning out in popularity with a landlord can be difficult. If you are only anticipating being there for a couple of years, do not mention your time frame unless asked as this could hurt your case if the landlord wants a long term tenant. Similarly, if you don’t know German already, try to learn a few introductory German phrases. Demonstrating making the effort to learn the language will go a long way in making a good first impression. 

On the flip side, if you are looking for a furnished apartment, you likely will only be competing with other foreign expats looking to move into the city, so the playing field will be slightly more even regarding language proficiency and time frame. Even so, the language initiation can still be helpful, so I definitely would recommend it. 

Tip #3: Search Tools

Ok, so you might be wondering, how do you even begin an apartment search? No, Zillow does not exist in Germany, but there are several other great apartment/housing search tools available. 

ImmoScout24 – If you are primarily looking for an unfurnished house, duplex or apartment, then I would recommend checking out ImmoScout24. Like Zillow, you can search based on general location (or your map circle), rental price, type of accommodation, and other preferences such as allowing pets, having a balcony, apartment size, rooms included, fitted kitchen available etc. Even if you are being relocated with a company who will help you find housing, ImmoScout24 can be really beneficial for in giving you the chance to search / scope out the area you are interested in moving to. Similarly, you are able to see what type of housing is available to give you a better vision for your housing options. This research can REALLY help with tip #1 of managing expectations and can also be a fun pastime to channel your expat excitement! 

Mr. Lodge – While more specific to southern Germany, Mrlodge.de is a very helpful site for finding furnished apartments. Again, like ImmoScout24 you can search by rental price, pets, size, unique offerings etc. Within this site, you can also specify the length of apartment lease needed as some options are only available for 3 months, 6 months, 36 months etc. If you are going to be on a short term assignment, or are looking to try out expat living for a shorter period of time, this site can be a great option for you! 

Tip #4: Know Your Rental Cost Types

Cold Rent VS. Total Rent

When searching through ImmoScout24, be sure you know the difference between “cold rent” and “total rent”. Cold rent is the rental price without utilities, while your total rent is the rental price with utilities included. The total rent includes an estimation of the utilities that will be used throughout the month which you will pay to the landlord up front. At the end of the year, a utility adjustment will be completed to see if you were over or under charged based on your usage. Following the adjustment, a refund/charge will be given to you accordingly. Each apartment varies on which utilities are included within the total rent price, but most include heating, water and electricity. Frequently internet or TV services are additional, but occasionally they are included as well. 

Utilities

Like apartment offerings, the utility prices can vary greatly, and more recently, can be quite an investment due to the natural gas shortage. Gas is one of the primary heating / energy methods, so do not be surprised if you see the total rent to be 300 – 600 euros more a month than the cold rent. If you are being moved by a company and receive any sort of housing stipend, be sure to clarify whether the stipend covers just cold rent or also total rent. If the company only covers cold rent, an apartment might be phenomenal but your utilities could be an additional 600 euros a month whereas another apartment you love might have utilities at 450 euros a month, so knowing what you are getting into beyond the initial rental price is very important. Similarly, when refining your rental search by price within the search engines described in tip#3, be sure to specify whether you are searching by cold or total rent as this will impact the results that you see. 

Overall, it isn’t quite as complicated as it may seem, but knowing what all is included regarding your utilities is very important to finding just the right apartment for you! 

Final Thoughts

Finding housing for your move abroad is such an exciting part of setting up your new life! Much like finding housing in any new city or state, there are many steps to complete the process, so being aware of them up front can help prevent becoming overwhelmed down the road (which even still might happen as it’s a big deal, so I am right there with ya!). As these tips will help to narrow down the housing options to view, Charlie and I will undertake our next adventure of actually selecting our house in Munich in person in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for our final apartment find! In the meantime however, were there any of the tips above that totally surprised you? I have to say that finding out apartments didn’t always come with kitchens was quite a surprise to me! I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy house hunting!

Chloe 

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