Finding an apartment

Listings give two prices. Kaltmiete is the rent for the space alone. Add the Nebenkosten (building costs, water, often the Heizung) and you get the Warmmiete. Strom is usually a separate contract in your own name. The Kaution can be up to three months of Kaltmiete.

Rooms are counted differently. A flat with two Zimmer has a living room and a bedroom. Küche and Bad are not counted. And check for Einbauküche in the listing: many flats are handed over with no kitchen at all, only the pipes. das Bad, by the way, is the bathroom and has nothing to do with the English "bad".

Landlords commonly ask for a Schufa report, which is your credit record. Once you move in, the Vermieter signs a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, the paper you need to register your address. Tenants who want to kündigen normally have a three-month notice period.