How to find your next apartment

In a tight market, the flat rarely goes to the person who wanted it most. It goes to the person who answered first with a complete application. Most of the work is therefore front-loaded — done before you ever see a listing you like.

Start with a budget that includes everything

The advertised figure is usually the cold rent, sometimes the warm rent. Neither is what living in the flat costs. Build the real number:

• Kaltmiete — the base rent.
• Nebenkosten — the monthly advance for heating, water, waste and building upkeep. Reconciled annually, so budget for a possible back payment.
• Electricity — almost always a separate contract you sign yourself.
• Internet — same, and check what the building actually supports before you assume fibre.
• Rundfunkbeitrag — the broadcasting fee, per household.
• Contents insurance, and liability insurance if you do not have it.

A common rule of thumb is to keep warm rent under about a third of net household income. Landlords apply something similar when screening, so a flat well above that ratio is often not just uncomfortable — it is unwinnable.

Then budget the one-off costs: up to three cold rents of deposit, the first month’s rent, a move, and possibly a kitchen. In Germany many flats are let without one.

Decide what is fixed and what is negotiable

Write two short lists before you search. Fixed things are the ones you will not trade: a commute ceiling, a minimum number of rooms, ground-floor access, a pet. Flexible things are everything else — balcony, lift, building age, exact neighbourhood.

This matters because it turns a vague search into a filter. In FlatApp you set these once and only see matches, which is the whole point of swiping rather than scrolling.

Build your application pack before you search

Assemble one PDF, named clearly, containing:

1. A short cover note — who you are, what you do, when you can move in, how many people, whether you have pets.
2. Photo ID.
3. The last three payslips, or two tax assessments if you are self-employed.
4. A current SCHUFA credit report. Order it in advance; it takes days, not minutes.
5. Confirmation from your previous landlord that you owe no rent.
6. A WBS certificate if you are eligible and want access to subsidised flats.

Keep it factual and keep it short. Nobody reads a two-page letter about how much you love the neighbourhood.

Where to look

• Property portals — broad reach, heavy competition, listings gone within hours. Set up saved searches with instant alerts, not daily digests.
• FlatApp — you set filters once and swipe through matches; when you save a flat you message the agency in the app, so there is no email tag.
• Agencies directly — many list on their own site first. Under the Bestellerprinzip, whoever commissioned the agent pays the commission, so for rentals that is normally the landlord, not you.
• Housing cooperatives (Genossenschaften) — you buy shares and join a waiting list. Slow, but the rents and security are usually excellent.
• Municipal housing companies — large portfolios, transparent processes, often a WBS requirement for part of the stock.
• Word of mouth — still how a surprising share of flats change hands. Tell people you are looking.

Viewings: what to actually look at

Group viewings are short and crowded. Have a fixed routine so you do not leave having looked only at the light.

• Windows — do they open and close properly? Single or double glazing? Condensation or black spots in the corners?
• Heating — what type, how old, and is hot water central or from a boiler in the flat?
• Bathroom — window or extractor, water pressure, signs of past leaks on the ceiling.
• Kitchen — is one included, and if so, in what condition, and who owns it? An Ablöse payment to the outgoing tenant should be proportionate to the actual value.
• Sockets and network — count them, and see where the connections are.
• Noise — open a window. Listen for the road, the bar downstairs, the flight path.
• Building — stairwell condition, bike storage, cellar, bins, lift.
• The energy certificate — it has to be shown at the viewing. A poor rating is a direct prediction of your heating bill.

Ask two questions that tell you a lot: why is the previous tenant leaving, and what were the last two Nebenkosten reconciliations?

The follow-up

Send your pack the same day, reference the flat and viewing time, and say plainly that you can sign quickly. If you have not heard back in a few days, one polite follow-up is fine. A third is not.

If you are asked to bid above the asking rent, be aware that in areas covered by the Mietpreisbremse there is a ceiling on what can lawfully be charged, and the landlord must disclose the exception they rely on if the rent exceeds it.

Red flags

Rental scams follow a small number of patterns. Any one of these should stop you:

• You are asked to pay anything at all — deposit, “reservation fee”, key courier — before you have viewed the flat and signed a contract.
• The landlord is “abroad” and will post the keys after payment.
• The price is far below everything comparable, with no explanation.
• You are pushed to use a money-transfer service or crypto instead of a bank transfer.
• The listing photos appear elsewhere online under a different address.
• Nobody will meet you in person or show ID and proof of ownership.

A viewing fee is not normal. A commission charged to you as the tenant, for a flat you did not commission an agent to find, is not normal either.

Search checklist

1. Real monthly budget calculated, including electricity, internet and the broadcasting fee.
2. One-off costs saved: deposit, first rent, move, kitchen.
3. Fixed and flexible criteria written down and turned into filters.
4. Application PDF assembled, SCHUFA report ordered.
5. Instant alerts set on every source you use.
6. Viewing routine memorised; energy certificate requested.
7. Same-day follow-up sent with the complete pack.
8. No money moves before keys and a signed contract.