GERMANY | Accommodation | DOs and DONT´s
DO
- report damage to or problems with the apartment to your landlord (broken pipes, etc.), so that he can fix the problem. This is the landlord’s duty.
- prepare for a WG-meeting and write down questions on a piece of paper that you want to ask your prospective flatmates
- try to adapt as much as possible to the habits of your flatmates and stick to agreements (e.g. cleaning schedule) when sharing an apartment
- search thrift stores for furniture.
- leave the apartment in a decent state (German standards are relatively high in that respect)
DON’T
- lose your key. Key replacement services are expensive in Germany, especially on Sunday night.
- sign the tenancy agreement without reading and understanding it
- arrive without any kind of accommodation for the first few days (e.g. youth hostel, bed & breakfast, etc.)
- rent an apartment without knowing what the additional costs are (e.g. electricity, heating, water, garbage, etc.)
- rent an apartment that you haven’t seen before