Finding a Flat
If you are looking to rent a private room or flat, you should start your search at least two to three months before your anticipated move-in date. One place to look is the classified sections of local newspapers. Make sure you buy the earliest edition as possible to increase your chances of finding something available. The general classified sections of the Aachener Nachrichten and the Aachener Zeitung appear on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Those of the Aachener Woche come out on Wednesdays and Saturdays and those of the Annonce on Tuesdays and Fridays. You can also check out the schwarze Bretter, the public notice boards located in the Mensa Academica, in the Kármán Auditorium, and in many other university buildings. Another option is to use an agency, though broker fees usually amount to two to three month’s rent.
In addition, there are many possibilities for finding an apartment in the Internet. The following sites are just some of many that can help you:
www.allstudents.de
www.wg-welt.de
www.studenten-wohnung.de
www.die-wg-boerse.de
www.suchezimmer.de
www.wg-gesucht.de
www.studenten-wg.de
www.wggruendung.de
Often these sites contain postings for rooms in shared flats, which are a very common living arrangement for students in Germany. To focus your search, decide whether you want to live alone or with others before you start looking.
These days, a one-room flat in Germany goes for between 160€ and 300€, a two-room place for between 250€ and 300€. Rents are given as either Warmmiete or Kaltmiete. Warmmiete prices include all utilities except electricity, while Kaltmiete prices do not have utilities factored in. When a rent is listed as a Kaltmiete, inquire about the utility costs in past years to estimate the full price of the room or apartment.
Here you can download standard forms for rental contracts and subletter’s contracts.
When you’re looking at a place, keep in mind the following checklist.
For students in the Erasmus program, the International Office has initiated the “my home is your castle” project. More information here.