Part 3: Everything you need to know about accommodation in Munich

By Aravindha Thiagarajan on October 9, 2020

A separate blog for accommodation in itself should tell you how important it is, but if it doesn’t sound important to you yet, there’s a saying and urban legend which goes “getting an admit is quite easy but getting an accommodation is nearly impossible”. Not to scare you off, but that is/was the reality with finding housing in Munich. The corona situation eased a bit of the supply-demand gap but still, this is something you should start taking it seriously if you don’t want to end up under the flyovers during your winter nights.

General tips:

  • 1) Apply for the studentenwerk dorm using the application. More details can be found on the website of the studentenwerk.

  • 2) Attend the accommodation webinar from our University.

  • 3) Don’t restrict the area/distance of your search. But don’t go to a nearby town like Ingolstadt or something (if you can and want, well and good). Travel time of up to 1.30 hrs is acceptable I guess.

  • 4) Use multiple webpages/portals to expand your search like wg-gesucht or otherwise, private listing under the studentenwerk webpage or TUM bulletin board and FB housing groups.

  • 5) Deposit for the place varies somewhere between a month’s rent to 3 month’s rent. (usually)

  • 6) Consistency is the key. Don’t fret! You have a long journey ahead of you. Have a look into these links provided by TUM and LMU

Do’s

  • 1) Start early to find your potential home. For Munich, it is never too early to start your accommodation search.

  • 2) Read the listing carefully or at least skim through it thoroughly. Some listings in wg-gesucht will require you to answer a question or type in a keyword at the start of your message to filter out the many (often stupid copy-paste) enquiries which the landlord gets.

  • 3) Pay attention to the conditions listed. Ladies, this is of utmost importance for you. Some cheap sickos often attach “services” to be rendered if given a place of stay and usually it is of sexual in nature. Please, DON’T ACCEPT OR FALL INTO IT AT ANY COST!

  • 4) Always read what is included and not included in the rent. The warm rent is what you pay in total which is the cold rent + expenses/taxes.

  • 5) Always ask for city registration and if the landlord will provide the document for it. (document name: “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung”)

  • 6) Always ask for visits in your enquiry. Ask a local friend to visit the place in person by fixing an appointment with the landlord/agent and compare the pics posted with that from your friend’s.

  • 7) If visiting is not possible, ask for a video call. Again compare the pics with what you see in the video. There were cases where people were scammed with this method, so take due caution.

  • 8) Ask whatever questions you have directly to the landlord or the person who is showing you the place. Never assume anything on your own.

  • 9) Have a pic on your profile in the house searching webpages like wg-gesucht. As much as privacy is important, the landlord also has to believe that they are interacting with a person looking for accommodation and not a scammer.

  • 10) Always have a proof that you have paid the month’s rent if you pay it in cash.

  • 11) If the listing is in German and you translated it with a translator, always reply using German at the top and maybe English at the bottom of your enquiry. Basically, stick to the language of the listing if possible.

Don’ts

  • 1) Don’t wait for the right moment or time. If you see a listing, send your enquiry RIGHT AWAY!

  • 2) Never transfer amount without a viewing or video calling.

  • 3) Don’t accept undue obligations in your contract. Cleaning etc. is fine but I had a place which dictated when the lights should be switched on and when the lights must be switched off in my room and that I had to maintain the lawn, take out the snow, blah blah blah which was basically bonded labour.

  • 4) Usually, don’t go in for a contract of about a year or so. Reasons: your flatmates have to be comfortable with you, you have to be comfortable with them, you might even find a cheaper place sooner or get your own dorm. And it is always possible to extend a 6-month contract to another 6 months.

Other general tips:

  • 1) Yes, a landlord can say no to you without any reasons asked. He/she/they have the right to it and it’s legally okay for them to say so too.

  • 2) Yes, the landlord can say no to you and still post the ad once again without any change. Don’t fret again. Think of it as their loss.

  • 3) Yes, a potential landlord may even promise you the place only to later decline it. Until you sign a contract, you can do nothing about it. Often happened to me, but life goes on…

  • 4) A contract doesn’t legally require to be in a written form. Although, the written form is easier for you to prove it in cases if need be. (Thank the person who included “Business law” into my syllabus!)

  • 5) Always ask for a city registration. The landlord is obliged to provide it as long as it is not for a very short duration of stay. If he/she/they aren’t providing the document (“Wohnungsgeberbestätigung”) the listing itself is not allowed in most cases.

Its most likely to be a fake posting if: (again, most probably; don’t hold me liable :P)

  • 1) They tell you that they have been transferred to a particular place in Europe very recently and that they will send the keys through couriers.

  • 2) They ask you to pay the entire or partial amount of the deposit even before they arrange a viewing appointment.

  • 3) They ask you to transfer money using Western Union or similar.

  • 4) They ask for your passport or visa specifically (and send theirs even before you ask for it) before fixing a viewing appointment. What happens is that they usually take your identity later on and scam other unsuspecting people.

  • 5) The rent and the location doesn’t even match when compared with the other listings of similar nature, e.g., a 2 room WG at the heart of the city like Maxvorstadt for a warm rent of 800 EUR.

After you move in:

  • 1) Check for potential damages already present and take a picture of it and send it to the landlord as soon as possible.

  • 2) Take a complete picture of the place before you fill it up with your stuff and establish contact with your landlord attaching these pictures. This avoids sudden surprises later on or when moving out.

  • 3) Interact with your flatmate whenever you feel the time is right. These are the people with whom you might live for a considerable amount of time and it’s always a good idea to get to know them. But, don’t overdo it at the same time and respect their boundaries.

  • 4) If there is no cleaning plan/schedule with a list of tasks, establish one by consulting with your flatmates. Saves a ton of trouble later on.

  • 5) Start your procedure to get the city registration/anmeldung with the KVR - Kreisverwaltungsreferat, which is the name of the office.

I have provided what I feel as important and what I experienced while finding a place here in Munich. It is not that all landlords are bad and shady and that all tenants are nice. It can always be the other way round too. Appease the concerns of your potential landlord (hey, it’s their blood and sweat too) and most probably you might be able to convince them that you are the right person for the place.

Good luck with your search!. See you in the next blog. Aravindha.

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