PART 1: Moving to Berlin - the steps to securing a longer term flat or shared flat rental:
Before moving to Berlin, there are steps you can already be taking in making your flat finding process as easy as possible. I would suggest you do as I did and either pre-book a hostel or a holiday apartment to begin with. I stayed in Transit hostel in Kreuzberg and they offered me a discount because I stayed there a few weeks. It is a good idea to have a base pre-booked for the first few weeks to a month so as to give you enough time to find the right flat. It might take longer than you think.
Once you have secured a place for the first few weeks then things have already started to look up!
For more longer term accommodation take a look at http://www.wg-gesucht.de. They offer flat shares, known as "WG's", as well as private apartments. If you are planning on renting a room or flat indefinitely you would really need to be here so you can go to viewings and meet prospective flat mates or landlords. I've noticed that WG Gesucht have an English option on their site since 2009, the time of writing this article. Nonetheless, here is some useful flat hunting lingo that will come in handy:
Angebote Lesen – “read offers”
Stadt Wählen – “choose city”
Rubrik Wählen – “choose“ category – either select WG (room in flat share) or 1 Zimmer Wohnung (studio flat) or Mehrzimmer (1 bed or more)
It is important to note that in Germany, what would be a studio in the UK, is classified as a 1 room flat. What we would classify as a 1 bed flat in the UK, is known as a 2 room flat in Germany!
Frei ab: free from/ Frei bis – free until/Miete – Rent/Gross – size /Stadtteil – district/WG bewohner – flat sharers
Don't forget to use google translator if you need help in understanding any other relavent words.
The Zitty and Tip magazines have an extensive flat & apartment listings in the classified section at the back. It maybe also worth checking the Ex-Berliner, an English language magazine, which has a small number of flats/rooms advertised in the classified section. Now you are ready to get calling! I would start of my phone calls with a pre-prepared German sentence and then I would ask if they spoke English, 99% of them did! It took me about 3 weeks of intensively looking to find a sublet flat (through Zitty magazine) where I stayed for 1 month. It took me a further month to find a flat share, but I am fussy. At this point I was not looking for my own apartment as that would have been too time consuming. There are different types of contracts that might be offered and I will do my best to translate them as accurately as possible
Untermietvertrag: Sub-lesser contract – Usually required if you are renting a room in someone’s flat in a flat share scenario, for example. It should be signed usually between a tenant and the main tenant who is responsible for the flat.
Zwischenmietervertrag – A temporary rental contract – Just for an agreed period of time. Usually signed between a tenant and the existing tenant to take over their flat for a specific time period
Mietvertrag – Simply means, rental contract.
Flats that are advertised as "Nachmieter gesucht" means that the exisiting tenants, Landlord/Lady or owner are looking for the next meaning "Nach" or new tenant(s) to take over the flat. If you are signing a standard permanent contract, the agreement is made between the tenant and the Landlord/Lady - Owner(s) of the flat.
If you are looking to take over a flat on a "Nachmieter" basis then as already mentioned, you will be signing a contract directly with the landlord therefore do not be surprised if you are asked for the following documents:
*Last 3 payslips or letter from current employer stating how much you earn
*Schufa (this is a letter with your credit score) You can either apply for the print out on-line or go to the institute in person which is relatively pain free http://www.schufa.de/de/home/
*Letter from your current landlord saying you are up-to-date with your rent
*Copy of your registration (anmelden) paperwork which you get from the town hall. I will cover how to register yourself in the part 2 section below.
Remember when flat viewing, come armed with a good map as it makes it easier to get around. Oh, and you’ll find the street numbers do not have any logic behind them! Once you're in Berlin then it is a whole lot easier to find somewhere. Not only will you hear about flats through word of mouth but also notices that you will see pinned to trees and left in cafes.
If you are relocating here for business we are happy to recommend a person who can help you with your relocation/moving needs. Her name is stefaniesteinborn contact: stefanie@moving-to-berlin.com
PART 2: Moving to Berlin - Job opportunities, speaking German and where to register
When you are moving to Berlin, there are a few things that you should know about and consider before, during and after your move including job opportunities, learning German and where to register.
If you are not moving to Berlin because of your work you may want to consider lining a job up before your move to Berlin. There are generally jobs in Berlin for English speakers in the following areas: Teaching English as a foreign language, Tour Guide, DJing, working in a cafe/restaurant or if you know a little German maybe in a clothes or shoe shop. There is also a small market for Journalists, Copy Writers and DJ (Techno) bookers. In addition, I get the impression there seems to be a lack of highly skilled web developers. There are also a couple of international advertising agencies that have opened new branches in Berlin (McCann Erickison & Leo Burnett) - both are English speaking. If you are in Music Technology field then you will be pleased to know that both Native Instruments and Abelton have international offices over here.
Since writing this article in 2009, there has been an explosion in Berlin start-ups. Lots of new international companies are looking for web devlopers, marketing managers and social media community managers. Take a look at this job portal http://berlinstartupjobs.com/marketing/
I would recommend you attempt to learn a bit of German before your move, at least the basics. Although the majority of people speak English in Berlin, you are sometimes faced with situations where people do not. At certain railway/ underground stations, the Town Hall/Public Offices, surprisingly at the doctors or people that you might come into contact with whilst looking for a flat are the most likeliest places where you will need a couple of handy German phrases.
Rememeber, if you plan to stay for more than 3 months you will need to register yourself with the local Public Office, which is called "Anmelden" - to register. In fact you need to go to the Public Office every time you move to re-register and get a new print out with your new address on. Where you live is dependent on with which Public office you register with. Bürgeramt means Local Public office and Rathaus means Town Hall. Make sure you bring your passport and a copy of your rental contract to the Local Public Office to register. A Rental contract can be easily bought from local newsagents, if the person you are sub-letting a room from does not have one.
Below are the public offices that you will need to register with depending on which area you live
Bürgeramt Prenzlauer Berg
Adresse:
Fröbelstr. 17
10405 Berlin
Tel. 030/90295-2222
Opening Times : Mon 8-15 Uhr; Tue & Thu 11-18 Uhr; Weds & Fri 08-13 Uhr
Transport links: S41, S42, S8, S85 Prenzlauer Allee; U2 bis Eberswalder Str.;
Bus 156 bis Prenzlauer Allee; Tram M10, M2 bis Prenzlauer Allee Kreuzberg. Schöeneberg .
Bürgeramt Rathaus Mitte
Adresse:
Karl-Marx-Allee 31
10178 Berlin
Tel. 030/2009-31111
Opening Times: Mon 8-15 Uhr; Tue & Thu 11-18 Uhr; Weds & Fri 08-13 Uhr
Transport Links: U5 Schillingstr.; Bus N5 Schillingstr.; Tram M5, M6, M8 Büschingstr.
Bürgeramt Rathaus Tiergarten
Adresse:
Mathilde-Jacob-Platz 1
10551 Berlin
Tel. 030/2009-31111
Opening Times: Mon 8-15 Uhr; Tue & Thurs -18 Uhr; Weds & Fri 08-13 Uhr; Sat 09-13 Uhr
Transport Links: U9 Turmstr.; Bus 101, 123, 245, M27 Rathaus Tiergarten
Bürgeramt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Otto-Suhr-Alle
Adresse:
Otto-Suhr-Allee 100
10585 Berlin
Tel. 030/9029-13333
Opening Times:: Mon 8-15 Uhr; Tue & Thurs 11-18 Uhr; Weds & Fri 08-13 Uhr,
Transport Links: U7, Bus M45, N7 bis Richard-Wagner-Platz
Bürgeramt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg 1
Adresse:
Yorckstr. 4-11
10965 Berlin
Tel. 030/90298-3303
Opening Times: Mon 8-15 Uhr; Tue & Thu 11-18 Uhr; Wed &,Fri 8-13 Uhr
U6, U7 bis Mehringdamm; Bus M19, 140, 248, N6, N7, N42 to Mehringdamm
Feel free to browse this website for short stay accommodation in Berlin
PART 3: coming soon...