Anyone searching online for a new flat can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of listings. To narrow down the choice, flat hunters should think things through in advance and define their requirements for the new flat. In this article, we present six useful tips for your flat search. Follow these six tips and you will improve your chances of finding the perfect flat.
1. How much should the flat cost? – The financial framework
Whether in Stuttgart, Hamburg, Munich or Berlin: housing in Germany is becoming ever more expensive – almost one in seven people now spends more than 40 per cent of their disposable household income on it. Before you start looking for a new flat, you should consider carefully how much you can and want to afford. On this basis, you should set a maximum total rent that serves as your personal limit. The 30 per cent rule can be helpful here. It states that households should spend no more than around 30 per cent of their net income on rent. However, your individual situation (amount of monthly income, ongoing expenses, other obligations, any debts) must always be taken into account.
The total rent is made up of the basic rent (Kaltmiete, excluding utilities) and the service charges, such as heating, water, caretaker, refuse collection, cleaning, cable TV and so on. Items such as internet and electricity, for which tenants take out their own contracts, are usually not included in the service charges. In addition, a deposit is payable when the tenancy agreement is signed, which serves as security for the landlord against any damage caused by the tenant. The deposit is usually one to three months’ basic rent.
2. The location of the flat
Before you look at specific flats, you should decide where your new home should be. A central location in a trendy neighbourhood with bars on the doorstep, or something a little quieter in a new housing development? It is not only a matter of personal taste: as a general rule, outlying areas are cheaper than inner-city locations. Further out, tenants may therefore get more for their money, but have to compromise on centrality.
In concrete terms, you should check how well connected the flat is to your everyday anchor points. Whether it is work, schools, university, your best friends or your family – if you spend the whole day in the car or on the train, even the nicest flat soon loses its appeal. To keep daily journeys as short as possible, good public transport links are important for many people.
3. Finding the right flat – what do I need?
The total rent of a flat is calculated mainly on the basis of its total floor area. Balconies and terraces count towards the total floor area at a quarter of their size. Flat hunters should therefore ask themselves how many square metres they need. The number of rooms is also important, for example when it comes to whether a child’s room will be needed in future in addition to a living room and bedroom. One-room flats often have around 30–40 m², two-room flats usually around 55 m². Three-room flats usually start at around 75 m² and are mostly no larger than 100 m². Above this floor area, you will mainly find four- and five-room flats.
If you are not just looking for a home for a short time, you should also factor your life and family planning into your decision on the number of square metres and rooms. This also becomes relevant when deciding how many bathrooms you need. For older people and senior citizens, it is important that they can manage in their flat in everyday life without assistance. “Barrier-free” and “low-barrier” are the key words here: a missing lift, steps within the flat, a bath as the only way to shower or high thresholds between rooms can rule a flat out.
Car owners should check whether the flat comes with parking spaces or even its own garage. If not, a look around the area will help you judge whether the daily search for a parking space would become an ordeal.
4. The details have to be right – what flat hunters should look out for in the fittings
Just as important as the size of the flat are the details that complete the overall package. If you already own a fitted kitchen, you can safely rule out listings where the fitted kitchen is rented out or has to be taken over. For households that do not yet have one, this may offer an opportunity to avoid an expensive new purchase. The condition of the flat should also be considered – after all, a fully refurbished flat should be worth more to you than one that clearly shows the traces of numerous previous tenants.
To estimate how high the service charges you will face are likely to be, it helps to look at the flat’s energy performance certificate. Landlords are obliged to show this to prospective tenants as well. In addition to a poor rating in the energy performance certificate, old windows, boilers, instantaneous water heaters and radiators are reliable indicators of high energy consumption in the flat.
5. Keep your eyes open! Special contractual provisions
Many landlords already state significant special features of the planned tenancy agreement in the flat listing. A common example is a fixed-term tenancy of, say, two or three years. Tenants considering such a flat must be aware that they will have to move out again when the term expires.
A graduated rent (Staffelmiete), by contrast, is aimed more at a long tenancy. A corresponding clause in the tenancy agreement stipulates that the rent increases at regular intervals by a fixed amount (e.g. €100 per year or €300 every two years). Tenants can plan their housing costs reliably, but give up the chance that their rent might not be increased.
Details of mandatory cosmetic repairs (Schönheitsreparaturen) are usually only found in the final tenancy agreement. To avoid unpleasant surprises, tenants should raise this topic with the landlord when they first meet in person.
6. Simply receive flat offers – find your dream flat with Immomio
With Immomio’s service, flat hunters can make sure they are easily found by landlords! All they have to do is create a free search profile and define their dream flat. From then on, landlords with suitable flats in their portfolio will contact them.