The number in a German flat listing is almost never the number that leaves your bank account. A flat at "750 €" can easily cost 1,050 € a month once everything is added.
The gap is hidden in four or five words. Learn them before you start looking, and you can compare listings properly and spot the expensive surprises in a contract.
What You Actually Pay
| Word | What it covers | In the Warmmiete? |
|---|---|---|
Kaltmiete | the flat itself, nothing else | yes |
Nebenkosten | water, bins, building insurance, caretaker, lift, usually heating | yes |
Warmmiete | Kaltmiete plus Nebenkosten | this is the monthly transfer |
Strom | electricity, on your own contract | no |
Internet | your own contract | no |
Rundfunkbeitrag | the broadcasting fee every household pays | no |
Quick notes:
- Kalt and warm are how people talk about rent: Die Wohnung kostet 750 kalt, 950 warm.
- Nebenkosten are an advance payment, an estimate. Once a year you get the Nebenkostenabrechnung, the real bill. It ends in a refund or in a Nachzahlung, an extra payment.
- Heating is normally part of the Nebenkosten. Flats with their own gas boiler are the exception: there you sign a gas contract yourself.
Words in the Listing
rent
die Miete
rent without running costs
die Kaltmiete
rent with running costs
die Warmmiete
running costs
die Nebenkosten
heating costs
die Heizkosten
deposit
die Kaution
floor area
die Wohnfläche
tenancy agreement
der Mietvertrag
landlord
der Vermieter
tenant
der Mieter
estate agent
der Makler
agent's commission
die Provision
furnished
möbliert
fixed-term
befristet
open-ended
unbefristet
flat share
die Wohngemeinschaft / die WG
next tenant
der Nachmieter
temporary sublet
die Zwischenmiete
Practice these words
die Miete
Quick notes:
- The Kaution may be at most three months' Kaltmiete. You're allowed to pay it in three monthly instalments, and the landlord has to keep it separate from their own money. You get it back after you move out, which can take several months.
- For rentals, the Makler is paid by whoever hired them. That's nearly always the landlord. If an agent asks you for a commission on a flat they advertised, something is wrong.
- WG is said "veh-geh". WG-Zimmer is a room in a shared flat, and it's how most students and many newcomers start.
Paperwork Words
credit report
die Schufa-Auskunft
tenant self-disclosure form
die Mieterselbstauskunft
proof of salary
der Gehaltsnachweis
confirmation of no rent arrears
die Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung
rent guarantee
die Bürgschaft
landlord's confirmation of residence
die Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
handover report
das Übergabeprotokoll
standing order
der Dauerauftrag
notice of termination
die Kündigung
notice period
die Kündigungsfrist
annual running costs statement
die Nebenkostenabrechnung
extra payment
die Nachzahlung
rent increase
die Mieterhöhung
Practice these words
die Schufa-Auskunft
Quick notes:
- The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is the paper you need to register your address. The landlord has to give it to you. Without it, the Bürgeramt will send you home.
- The standard Kündigungsfrist for a tenant is three months. Notice has to be on paper with your handwritten signature. An email or a message doesn't count.
- The Übergabeprotokoll lists every scratch and stain on the day you get the keys. It's what protects your deposit when you leave.
Clauses Worth Understanding
| Term | What it means for you |
|---|---|
Staffelmiete | the rent rises by fixed amounts on fixed dates, all written into the contract |
Indexmiete | the rent follows the official consumer price index, so it rises with inflation |
Mietpreisbremse | a cap on the rent in a new contract, in cities with tight housing markets |
Mietspiegel | the town's official table of typical local rents |
Schönheitsreparaturen | cosmetic work such as painting, which the contract may put on the tenant |
Kleinreparaturklausel | you pay for small repairs up to a set amount |
Eigenbedarf | the landlord needs the flat for themselves or family; the main reason a landlord can legally end a tenancy |
Ablöse | money the previous tenant asks for a kitchen or furniture they leave behind |
Quick note: an Ablöse is a private deal between you and the previous tenant, and it's negotiable. Ask for receipts and check what a used kitchen of that age is worth.
Before You Sign
- Add it up. Warmmiete plus electricity plus internet plus the broadcasting fee is the real monthly cost.
- Ask about the Nebenkosten. What do they include, and how big was the last Nachzahlung?
- Look for Staffelmiete or Indexmiete. Both mean the rent will go up, and you agree to it by signing.
- Check whether the contract is befristet. A fixed-term contract ends on a date, and you can't simply leave earlier.
- Pay nothing before you've seen the flat and signed. A "landlord abroad" who wants the deposit transferred and promises to post the keys is a known scam.
- Do the Übergabeprotokoll properly. Walk through with the landlord, write everything down, take dated photos.
- Get the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. You need it for your registration within two weeks of moving in.