How to find an apartment in Germany

To find an apartment in Germany you can start with Immo Scout24, Ebay Kleinanzeigen, or a FB group like Munich apartments for rent. Plenty of resources are available to find an apartment in Germany. Those are websites, Facebook groups, or classifieds. To live in a shared apartment is cheaper than renting an entire flat.

How to rent an apartment in Germany is similar whether you are a resident or a new foreigner in Germany. Half of Germany’s population doesn’t own where they live. Renting is very common in Germany.

The links in this article lead to resources in German or English. Use Google Translate if you need. Or any other translation tool you like.

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How to get an apartment in Germany

I present some of the most popular apps and websites for finding an apartment in Germany. You can also look into sharing a flat with someone else.

All these websites have filters that allow you to narrow your search. With various search filters available, you can easily find your ideal home. Narrow down your search by selecting the type of housing, municipality, neighborhood, or postal code that suits you best. Additionally, you can customize your search by setting filters for price, number of rooms, bathrooms, property condition, and other extras.

You may want to try to contact the property owners directly. But if you use an agency, determine how much you will have to pay them.

In Germany, agencies sometimes want you to pay them a month’s rent just because they show you an apartment, but it depends on the country.

Baidu, Google, Naver, Sogou, Yandex, or any other search engine can be a good start for a search for an apartment or a house for rent. This could be, for example, “Apartments for rent in Berlin” or “House for sale in Munich.” You can also look to share a flat with someone else.

Is it hard to find an apartment in Germany?

It’s not hard to get an apartment in Germany. If you are in Germany, you can see the places directly but online viewing can also be arranged. It’s easier, if you speak German as it is less work for the landlord. But you can also manage with some basic English via text. Or with any other language, your agent or landlady understands.

First, when you search for an apartment or a room, you get options according to your needs such as:

• bed in a shared room,
• single room in a shared apartment,
• single room,
• studio apartment,
• furnished or unfurnished apartment, and house furnished or unfurnished.

A room in a shared apartment is cheaper than a studio apartment or renting an entire flat.

How to search for an apartment in Germany

There are a few things to keep in mind when apartment hunting. First, think about your budget and what you can afford. Apartments in Germany can be expensive, so you need to be realistic about what you can afford.

Second, think about your needs and wants. Are you looking for an apartment in the city, or would you prefer something in the suburbs? Do you need a lot of space? Or would you be satisfied with a smaller apartment? The most important thing is to ensure that your apartment is close to public transport.

Also, think about free housing options. In Germany, social housing assistance aims to support those families who would otherwise not be able to find suitable accommodation on the housing market. Instead, we propose you start your search at bmi.bund.de, a website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, where they have started promoting social housing since the federal reform of 2006.

If you pick Germany for temporary protection, you will discover free and paid lodging options. Want to connect with fellow hosts in your region for guidance and tips? Airbnb is responsible for hosting in Germany, so find your community’s official Hosting Group on Facebook.

Also, Housing of Germany provides information on housing options throughout the country.

Best Websites to Find an Apartment in Germany

You can look up real estate agencies that can help you. You can type “real estate agency near Hamburg” on Google Maps or any other map app. There you can find a list of relevant agencies that you can contact. You can also walk around a Hamburg neighborhood and look for rental signs.

Be aware that you should pay an agency when they find an apartment for you, but it depends on the country. 

These are some property portals for finding an apartment to rent. They are about renting, buying, and selling. They have rooms, apartments, houses, and more.

Immo Scout24 is very popular in Germany. It’s about renting, buying, selling, rooms, apartments, houses, and more.

Ebay Kleinanzeigen is a  very popular classified website. It has listings about renting, selling, rooms, apartments, and more.

Immo welt is another very popular real estate website in Germany.

ImmoNet.de is another popular real estate website in Germany.

Wohnungs Boerse.net is another real estate website.

wunderflats.com is a website for rent furnished apartments in Germany.

warmes-bett.de is a website for safe accommodation for families from war zones

booking.com is a service that allows you to book accommodations all around the world.

host4ukraine.com is a website that connects Ukrainians with volunteers all over the world.

tempoflat.de is a website for Furnished Apartments – Temporary Accommodation Germany

thehomelike.com is a website for ready-made Apartments in over 500 cities of the country.

wg-gesucht.de is a website for share apartments in Germany.

living-hotels.com is a website for hotels and apartments.

wohnungsboerse.net is a website for buying or renting an apartment n Germany.

Read more on how to rent accommodation in Germany.

These websites feature various unfurnished or furnished apartments for renting purposes. These sites operate in the German and English language. The best way is to get through is by translating the page. And it becomes easier to navigate the basic information. Online portals are a popular way to find homes in Germany.

Each listing will help us with the location, photographs, prices, features, and so on. Once you turn in the updates, they will send you daily emails with a listing according to your needs.

Facebook groups on finding an apartment in Germany

These are some Facebook groups. They are about renting an apartment and finding accommodation in Germany. You can find more.

Roommates / apartments for rent in Berlin is about finding accommodation in Berlin.

Munich apartments for rent is a Facebook group about finding accommodation in Munich.

Apartments BERLIN – INDIANS is a Facebook group about finding accommodation in Berlin. It focuses on Indian nationals.

Berlin Housing, Rooms, Apartments, Sublets is about finding housing in Berlin.

Frankfurt Housing, Rooms, Apartments, Sublets is a Facebook group about finding accommodation in Frankfurt.

Sources: I used Similarweb to check how popular are some of the job sites presented above. 

The caption of the cover image above is Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany Photo by Tobias Reich on Unsplash.