Things to Know Before Renting in Germany

If you’re planning on moving to Germany, you surely are wondering how it feels to live there. Well, since a lot of things could create a culture shock, we made a list of things to know before renting in Germany!

1) The rent and place

If you want to live in Germany, you will need to get an apartment. First, to rent a place, you will need to give a rent deposit. That’s right, you will pay the first month of rent but also an additional 2 to 3 months. Although it may be hard to give all that money at once, don’t worry, you will get it back when moving out. Unless you damage the apartment, in that case, they will use a certain amount of money to renew it.

Also, don’t expect to get a kitchen, cabinets, or anything when you rent an apartment. Most of the time, they come empty, but you can pay to use the kitchen of the last person who lived there. It is something that can also shock other Europeans. In other countries, you could ask if your tenant has a fridge to sell you or something like that. But not the whole appliances.

2) Rules

Also, there will be a few rules to respect while renting there. German people really like being at peace in a quiet environment. There is a concept called “ruhezeit” that can be in your contract. “Ruhezeit” is basically quiet time. There are certain hours when you can’t listen to music loudly, drill a hole or use your dryer. It depends on where you live, so you should ask your neighbours or tenant about it. If you disrespect ruhezeit, your neighbours would come to tell you to make less noise or call the police if they aren’t that nice.

Moreover, German people really care about recycling. It is very important for them to sort their rubbish. It would be quite impolite to ignore this rule, as it also helps the environment. Don’t worry though, it is very easy to do as there are explanations in the different bins! Plus, you will feel good about saving planet Earth.

There is also something really nice about recycling in Germany: “pfand”. Let’s say you buy some lemonade. When you finish it, you will get some of your money back. How? Thanks to bottle deposits, you can just give them your bottles and get a few cents back. You will get 25 cents for a plastic bottle and 8 cents for a glass one. You even get paid to recycle!

3) Advice

Another important thing to know is that you should definitely check your mailbox often. Germans and bureaucracy still use this way to communicate. It can seem old and disturbing, but it is one of their traditions. As bureaucracy is quite important (we will talk about this later), really pay attention to your mailbox! Maybe buy a nice seal for your letters to look nice and live your vintage fantasy!

Indeed, you won’t live without electricity. Please check if you need an electric socket before using your devices. You could break them by not checking. They have type F power plugs and sockets and usually the voltage is 230 V with a frequency of 50 Hz.

Do you want to know more? Here is a great video for you to watch to get ready for Germany! We will also write articles on other important matters like shopping and going out! Follow us to stay up to date !