First Steps

• Housing in Karlsruhe is in short supply.
• You will need lots of patience and a bit of luck.
• Owners often receive more than 100 offers but only a few are invited to have a look at the apartment or house rental.
• It is possible to send out many requests and get no replies.
• When replying to an advertisement, look upon it like a job interview - be prepared and try to convince the owner that your are the best person for the apartment!
• Expect to make compromises.
• Under no circumstances is it necessary to pay ahead of time (e.g. €100) to have a look at the apartment - this is often a scam, so beware!
• Especially when looking for a place to live, a professional service is recommended. They know the neighborhoods and can start looking for you before you arrive. Relocation Service move-in.

• Don't be surprised to find that many apartments and houses come without kitchens! You may have to install appliances (refrigerator, stove, washing machine, etc.) and cabinets yourself. Sometimes it is possible to buy the old kitchen from the previous renter.
• There may be no lamps in the rental.
• You will be expected to pay a deposit of up to 3 months basic rent which will be returned to you when you depart — provided there are no outstanding expenses or damage to the apartment. If the landlord wants cash as a deposit make sure you get a receipt!
• The amount of your rent is not negotiable!
• The landlord or agent may ask you to fill out a "Selbstauskunft" (voluntary disclosure of ones personal and financial data). You are not required to provide this information, but your chances of finding an apartment will greatly improve if you do. Download the file Selbstauskunft.pdf to learn what types of questions may be asked - in English and German.
• Before you sign your rental agreement, be sure to read over it carefully or have someone explain it to you!

• Often the best way to find a place is through connections — friends, work colleagues etc.
• The regional daily newspaper advertises rentals on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 
• A number of free newspapers list rental properties. 
• Internet sites are good alternatives. 
• Especially when looking for a place to live, a professional service is recommended. They know the neighborhoods and can start looking for you before you arrive. Relocation Service move-in.
• Download a list of words and abbreviations most often used in advertisements — with English translations — here.

The costs associated with your rental property can be divided into three categories: basic rent, overhead costs and utilities.

1. Basic Rent (Kaltmiete or cold rent)

This covers the basic rental of the property. Sometimes the garage, carport or parking space is included in the basic rent, sometimes not.

2. Overhead Costs (Mietnebenkosten)

Make sure you know what is covered when you sign your agreement. These are additional costs you pay to the owner and may include: heating, water (hot and cold), taxes, cable television, garbage collection, sewage, snow removal, general maintenance of the building (not your apartment), building insurance and water usage for common spaces, etc.

The Nebenkosten (NK) are paid at a predetermined fixed rate per month. Because some of these costs depend on individual use (esp. heating and water), once a year you will receive a Nebenkostenabrechnung listing actual use and you will either have to pay the difference or you may get a refund. Your landlord must provide you with this information in a timely fashion.

Basic Rent plus Overhead Costs are known as Warmmiete (warm rent) or Gesamtmiete (total rent). 

Although it is called "warm" rent, heating costs may not be included. 

Warmmiete is what you pay your landlord. 

Note: Most apartments in Karlsruhe, especially older buildings, are heated with gas (see Utilities), which is not covered in the Nebenkosten.

3. Utilities and costs not covered in point 2.

These can include heating, telephone, cable television, electricity, etc. Please check the links for specific information.

• If there is no house manager/superintendant (Hausmeister), it is your responsibility to keep the building clean, done on a rotating basis among the tenants. This can include: mopping the stairs, sweeping the sidewalk, removal of snow and ice from in front of the house in winter, etc. There is often a schedule so that everyone knows who is responsible for what and when. If you cannot fulfill your duties, you must find an appropriate replacement, e.g., if you are on vacation in winter, you will need to find someone to take over snow shoveling in case it snows. It is often possible to trade with or make an arrangement with fellow tenants.
• If you find you are having trouble with your landlord or other tenants, it might be worthwhile consulting a local chapter of the Tenant's Association (Deutscher Mieterbund). For a yearly fee, experts are available to help you with your problem. Some branches offer help in languages other than German.
• You will get a list of rules and regulations for the building with your contract (Hausordnung). In addition, there is sometimes a pinboard hanging somewhere near the main entrance with news such as a warning that the water may be cut off because of maintenance. 
• Even though it can be very hot and muggy in Karlsruhe in the summer, very few houses or apartments have air conditioning. It is still considered a waste of energy and money. Some new constructions have innovative methods to provide cooling, but these are few and far between. If you can't sleep at night, a fan or a small air conditioner unit may save your sanity.
• Most apartments have a washing machine hook-up either in the kitchen or the bathroom. If not, there should be a laundry room in the basement with separate electric lines for each apartment. In most cases, you must purchase your own washing machine. Dryers are becoming more popular, but most people still hang their laundry to dry either in the basement laundry room or on a stand on the balcony or within the apartment.