The Survivor's Guide to Berlin

German Housing Glossary Explained

2011-07-04T17:12:00.006+02:00

German Housing Ad

When it comes to finding adequate housing in Berlin, you will have a look on one of the many internet sites offering apartments, houses and shared apartments (WGs).

These ads are usually short, specially when published in a newspaper or magazine, since every line does cost a fair bit of money, or the overall ad space is simply limited. Due to this reason, and their general fondness for being short and specific, Germans are the true champions of housing abbreviations (abbrv.)

Housing Ad Berlin

In this article, we've listed a few examples of such ads, which even for a native-speaking German - if inexperienced like myself- may pose some head scratching.

Apartment/flat - Wohnung
Shared apartment/flat - (WG) (Wohngemeinschaft)
Condo - (EW) Eigentumswohnung
Single Room - (Zi) Zimmer
Studio - Studio or (1-Zi) Wohnung
2-room apartment (1 bedroom+living room) - (2-Zi) Wohnung
3rd-floor - (3OG.) Obergeschoss
Attic or top floor/level - (DG) Dachgeschoss(wohnung)
Ground floor - (EG) Ergeschoss
Toilet - WC
Bathroom - (Bad)ezimmer
Year of contruction - (Bj.) Baujahr
Square meters - (qm.) Quadratmeter
Balcony/Terrace - (Blk.) Balkon
Fitted Kitchen - (EBK) Einbauküche
Central heating - (E. -Hzg) Etagenheizung
Old, possibly heritage-protected building - (AB) Altbau
Furnished - (möbl.) möbliert
Rent incl. heating - (WM) Warmmiete or 'warm'
Rent excluding heating - (KM) Kaltmiete or 'kalt'
Deposit - (KT) Kaution

A few things to keep in mind when looking for a place in Germany:

Many buildings (pre-ww2 buildings) are heritage-protected and will not have more than 5 or 6 floors.

Old buildings usually do not have a lift, so expect a good work-out when living on the upper floors.

In Germany, the first floor (1.Stock) is above the ground floor (EG) the 'Erdgeschoss'; thus, the first floor (1. Stock) is actually the 2nd floor in most other countries.

Old German-style buildings (usually pre- WW2) have often stucco, are prettier than new ones but can be pricier.

Want to know more?

Check out the article on How to Find Housing in Berlin which lists the best web resources for rentals in Berlin and all of Germany.

The about:com article on German Housing Terminologies and abbreviations for further reading on the subject will come in handy!

Do you need further help?
Contact us - we will be able to help you!

Find Housing in Berlin - (to Rent)

2011-06-14T13:28:00.011+02:00

One of the first things you will worry about when moving to Berlin is the housing situation. 'Where to live, how much rent, what kind of papers do I need and where do I find the best housing?' This post will deal with the latter of these questions, namely: 'Where to find housing in Berlin'?

Here in Germany, we usually differentiate between real estate agents, housing societies and private landlords. First and foremost, you have to understand the basic differences between a German housing society or "Wohnungsbaugesellschaften" (privately run housing societies providing rentals for a fair price regulated by the general private rental index). The other ones are typical real estate agents and then you also have the just straight up landlords/tenants or "Eigentümer/Hauptmieter" wanting to (sub)let their places for varying rental periods.
For the latter, you usually just pay the rent without any additional costs or courtages.

Housing Societies - Wohnungsbaugesellschaften:
In Berlin alone, there are about 80 housing societies managing over 180.000 homes. Renting a home from one of these agencies is a good and secure choice since rent contracts are adapted to the conditions and legislations which protect tenants in Germany (this is also why many Germans opt to rent rather than to buy). Any problems such as pipe-bursts, etc. will be fixed without fuss or delay and rent prices are usually adapted to the general rental index. No extra fees apply except the usual mandatory 2-month deposit on top of the first month's rent.

Real Estate Agents - Immobilienbüros:
Immobilienbüros are private housing companies which offer housing and act as middlemen between you and the owners of the apartment or house. This is why it is hardly surprising that these agents make their money by either charging a higher monthly rent price or simply asking for a 'Makler Courtage' or brokerage, which usually consists an additional payment of 2- to 3 month's rent. So finding a place through this source would be certainly quick and hassle-free, but will also be costly.

Landlords and Tenants:
If you are considering Berlin for a temporary option at first, and you do not want to commit to a year's contract, then it may be advisable to try your luck with homes from the actual landlords/private owners or subletting a place. Renting or subletting a place has the serious advantages: rental periods are limited and have no further obligations attached, rent usually includes all costs such as electricity, heating, water and internet etc., you only pay one month's rent deposit, places are mostly fully furnished - if it's a sublet, you can meet locals who can show you around and give you valuable tips for life in Berlin.

Berlin's Housing Societies - Wohnungsbaugesellschaften

http://wbm.de/wbm/cms/de/wohnen/Mietwohnungen.html

http://gewobag.de/

http://gsw.de/de/mieten/

http://arwobau.de/

Private Landlords (newspapers), Real Estate Search Engines and other Forums:

http://immonet.morgenpost.de/ (Berlin paper)
http://immobilienscout24.de/de/finden/wohnen/index.jsp (major search engine -rentals and sales)
http://kleinanzeigen.zitty.de/Wohnungen (Berlin magazine)
http://tagesspiegel.immowelt.de/immobilien/mieten_inland.aspx (housing section of Berlin daily paper)
http://service.tip-berlin.de/anzeigen/index.php/Wohnen (major Berlin magazine)
http://kleinanzeigen.ebay.de (ebay classifieds - free!)
http://zweitehand.de/immobilien/mieten/wohnung (classifieds search engine)
http://wg-gesucht.de (good option for sublets and shared apartments!)
http://studentenwg.de (good option for sublets and shared apartments!)

Find a Job in Berlin

2011-06-06T22:28:00.019+02:00

Making a move to a new city or a new country can be a daunting decision.

Globally, unemployment is still on the rise but luckily shrinking in Germany. Berlin - being the capital - still has some catching up to do in terms of the UER, but is enjoying strong growth in the creative and service industry.

So you've decided to find a job in Berlin or anywhere in Germany and you have already exhausted all the possibilities of the familiar sites you know from back home or can't find what you are looking for?

Here is a list of addresses and sites which list most local jobs in Berlin and other German cities. Some of the sites are in English and some are in German.

You can always try to find work in Berlin by looking through these sites and by translating the German ones in Google Translate.

TIP:
Another alternative to finding jobs in Berlin would be to type "Englisch" or "English" into the search fields of the German sites and thereby get a list of jobs in which English is spoken and/or required.
*El mismo consejo para la gente hispano-hablante: buscando "Spanisch", "Spanish" o "Español" te ayudará en encontrar trabajo! :)

Bundesagentur für Arbeit - Federal Employment Agency (English)

EURES - European Employment Service (multilingual)

ToyTown Germany - English speaking expat forum (English)

exberliner classifieds- Expat Berlin Blog (English)

Craiglist - Berlin Jobs (German and English)

mediabiz - jobs in the creative & media industry (German)

ebay classifieds (Kijiji) (German)

zweite hand- job search engine (German)

Berliner Morgenpost (Major Berlin paper) Classifieds (German)

jobscout24 - another major search engine (German)

jobrapido - major job search engine (German)

meinestadt - Berlin Jobsite (German)

jobs.de - German Jobsite (German)

xpatjobs.com - jobs for expats (English)

tip Berlin - major Berlin-based mag with classifieds (German)

zitty - Berlin magazine with good selection of classifieds (German)

the local - English online newspaper for Germany (English)