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Finding housing can be one of the hardest parts of moving to Germany. The challenge is not one national rent level or one application formula. Availability, prices, documents, contract types, and registration options differ by city, provider, and property.
This guide gives Indian students a safer process for searching from abroad and after arrival. It covers student residences, shared flats, private rentals, temporary accommodation, deposits, contracts, address registration, and scam protection.
Last reviewed: June 7, 2026. Housing rules and local procedures can change. For a dispute or unusual contract, obtain advice from a qualified lawyer, local tenants' association, student legal service, or consumer advice centre.
Write down:
Do not shortlist only by city centre. A reliable regional train, S-Bahn, tram, or bicycle route can open more realistic areas. Check the actual timetable at morning, evening, and weekend hours.
For broader budgeting, use the city-wise living-cost guide and hidden-cost guide.
No single channel covers the market.
Student residences may be operated by a local Studierendenwerk, university, religious organisation, foundation, private company, or other provider. Eligibility, rent, included services, application timing, allocation, waiting lists, and contract duration differ.
Use the German National Association for Student Affairs housing search to find the responsible local Studierendenwerk. Then read that provider's own rules.
Important checks:
Apply as early as the local provider permits, but do not rely on a universal waiting time or assume an application guarantees an offer.
Check:
Verify that a group or message actually belongs to the university before uploading documents or paying.
In a WG, clarify who your contractual counterparty is:
Do not assume the current flatmates can legally offer the room. Ask for evidence that the person advertising it is the landlord, authorised agent, or main tenant with permission to sublet.
Sections 540 and 553 of the German Civil Code govern important aspects of subletting. The exact facts and contract matter.
Private apartments can involve higher deposits, separate utility contracts, furnishing costs, and stricter income checks. Search major property portals, local providers, housing cooperatives, municipal companies, newspapers, noticeboards, and personal networks.
Platform popularity is not proof that a listing is genuine. Apply the same verification process everywhere.
Temporary housing can reduce pressure if you cannot verify a long-term property from abroad. It is not a universal requirement, and four to six weeks is not guaranteed to be enough.
Before booking, confirm:
A hostel, hotel, holiday rental, or informal stay may not provide the documents needed for Anmeldung. Do not assume every temporary address is registrable.
| Term | Meaning to verify |
|---|---|
| Kaltmiete | Base rent, normally excluding operating costs |
| Nebenkosten | Operating-cost advance or flat charge; check what is included |
| Warmmiete | Kaltmiete plus stated operating costs, but not necessarily every monthly bill |
| Heizkosten | Heating costs; confirm whether included and how settled |
| Strom | Electricity, often contracted separately |
| Internet | May be included, shared, or separately contracted |
| Kaution | Security deposit |
| Abstand / Abloese | Payment requested for furniture or other items |
| Zwischenmiete | Temporary sublet |
| befristet | Fixed-term contract |
| unbefristet | Indefinite contract |
| Einbaukueche / EBK | Fitted kitchen; included equipment varies |
| Wohnberechtigungsschein / WBS | Local certificate for eligible subsidised housing |
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Do not compare listings using Kaltmiete alone. Calculate:
housing cash need = warm rent + separately billed electricity + internet + broadcasting share + other contract charges
Operating-cost advances can later produce a credit or additional payment. Section 556 BGB contains important rules on operating costs and annual settlement.
Current asking rents can change quickly and may differ between a student residence, WG, new lease, furnished sublet, and private apartment in the same district. Build your range from:
Record whether each figure is cold rent, warm rent, or an all-inclusive furnished price.
A Wohnberechtigungsschein does not have one nationwide student-income threshold. Eligibility, residence status, household size, income calculation, apartment size, and application route depend on the applicable state and local rules.
If a listing requires a WBS, check the official housing office for that municipality before applying. Do not pay an intermediary who promises guaranteed eligibility.
Read the entire advertisement and answer what it asks. A useful first message usually states:
For a WG, add honest information about routine, shared-space expectations, languages, and whether you prefer a social or quieter household. Do not invent interests or personality traits to match the listing.
Avoid claims that can create discrimination or privacy concerns, such as treating a photograph, nationality, religion, age, marital status, disability, or a promise to have no visitors as a standard requirement.
Housing applications can involve sensitive data. Do not send a full passport, visa, bank statement, blocked-account details, or identity documents to every unverified advertiser.
Share only the information needed to establish fit and arrange a viewing.
After you have stronger evidence that the listing and provider are real, they may request documents such as:
The exact evidence is negotiable; there is no universal German rental portfolio.
A newcomer may have little or no German credit history, but it is inaccurate to say that a registered address and German bank account automatically produce a particular SCHUFA document. Ask what alternative evidence the provider accepts.
Treat urgency as a reason to slow down.
A signed PDF alone does not prove that the property or signer is real. Conversely, a legitimate landlord may request agreed rent or deposit before key handover. The safe rule is to verify the property, authority, contract, and payment account before transferring money.
If you suspect fraud, stop contact, preserve the listing, messages, contract, payment details, and screenshots, contact your bank or payment service immediately, report the account to the platform, and report the matter to police. The German police prevention service publishes guidance on online shopping and advance-payment fraud.
Check:
Do not let social pressure prevent you from asking about the contract, defects, costs, or household rules.
Identify:
Never sign a contract you do not understand. Machine translation can help you review, but it is not legal advice.
German tenancy law is protective in many situations, but not every rule applies identically to dorms, holiday accommodation, furnished rooms in an owner-occupied home, short-term housing, or other special arrangements.
For a standard residential lease, Section 551 BGB generally:
The deposit is not automatically returned immediately after move-out. The landlord may need a reasonable period to inspect claims and account for outstanding costs. Document condition carefully and seek advice if money is withheld without justification.
Do not assume you owe a broker merely because the listing came through one. The residential brokerage rules determine when a tenant can be charged. Section 2 WoVermRG limits tenant liability under the ordering principle, and Section 3 limits the commission charged to a housing seeker.
Obtain the commission agreement and invoice in writing before paying.
For many standard residential leases, a fixed term is valid only under the conditions in Section 575 BGB. Special accommodation can follow different rules. Do not assume every clause labelled "befristet" is enforceable or that every temporary arrangement receives full standard protection.
For an ordinary indefinite residential lease, the tenant's statutory notice timing is generally governed by Section 573c BGB. A landlord's ordinary termination generally requires a legitimate interest under Section 573 BGB, and notice periods can lengthen with tenancy duration.
Therefore, "both sides always have three months" is incorrect. Dorms, sublets, furnished rooms, and fixed-term contracts require separate review.
A genuine agreement to buy furniture can be lawful, but the items, condition, ownership, price, and payment timing should be documented separately. Section 4a WoVermRG restricts certain payments connected with obtaining housing, including disproportionate consideration for furnishings.
Do not pay unexplained "key money" or a reservation charge simply to be selected.
Create a written handover record with:
Send unresolved defects in writing promptly. Keep the advertisement, application, contract, handover record, payment evidence, messages, operating-cost statements, and move-out records.
Do not pay rent in cash without a credible reason and a signed receipt. Bank transfer provides useful evidence, but the existence of an IBAN does not make a listing legitimate.
Under Section 17 of the Federal Registration Act, a person who moves into a dwelling generally registers within two weeks. Exceptions and special rules exist, including for some short stays.
The housing provider must cooperate and provide confirmation under Section 19 BMG. The confirmation does not replace the rental contract.
Practical process:
Never pay for a fake registration address. Offering an address for registration when the person does not live there is prohibited, and it can expose both parties to serious problems.
Use the German bureaucracy guide for the broader arrival sequence.
Housing decisions can be fast and opaque, but discrimination is not something applicants must simply accept. The General Equal Treatment Act has housing-specific scope and exceptions, so obtain case-specific advice.
If you believe you experienced discrimination:
For contract, deposit, defect, or operating-cost disputes, contact a local tenants' association, student legal service, consumer advice centre, or lawyer. Check membership waiting periods and whether existing disputes are covered before relying on an association or legal-expense policy.
Track each lead rather than relying on memory:
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Source and listing URL | |
| Address and commute | |
| Provider identity checked | |
| Contract type | |
| Cold and warm rent | |
| Separate monthly costs | |
| Deposit and instalments | |
| Furniture payment | |
| Registration confirmed | |
| Viewing completed | |
| Documents shared | |
| Contract reviewed | |
| Payment recipient verified | |
| Decision and reason |
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No. Some students secure verified long-term housing before arrival; others need a longer bridge. Choose based on verification quality, local market conditions, budget, registration needs, and cancellation risk.
No. Prices, furnishings, utilities, internet, contract terms, and eligibility vary by provider and property.
Kaltmiete is the base rent. Warmmiete normally adds specified operating costs, but electricity, internet, broadcasting contribution, or other charges may remain separate. Read the contract breakdown.
For a standard residential cash deposit governed by Section 551 BGB, the tenant generally has the right to pay in three equal monthly instalments, with the first due at the start of the tenancy. Special arrangements require separate review.
No single document is universally mandatory for every rental. A provider may use credit or income evidence to assess risk, but applicants should ask what alternatives are accepted and share sensitive data proportionately.
It depends on whether you actually move into a dwelling, the accommodation arrangement, applicable statutory exceptions, and whether the provider can issue the required confirmation. Ask the local authority and provider before booking.
Not by itself. Verify the property, person, authority to rent it, payment account, and handover method. Fraudsters can send convincing contracts.
No. The landlord may retain amounts for justified claims and may need time for assessment or outstanding operating-cost issues. Unreasonable retention can be challenged.
Treat housing as a verification process, not a race to send the most documents or the fastest payment.
A slower, documented decision is usually cheaper than recovering from identity theft, an invalid sublet, an unregistrable address, or a fraudulent deposit.
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