Housing rentals in Germany

What is a housing rental?

A rental property is a dwelling that you rent instead of buying. It can be an apartment, a house, a room, or a townhouse. It is a flexible solution that allows you to live in a specific area without committing to purchasing a property.

When you rent a property, you pay a monthly rent depending on the size, location, and other factors. When renting, it's crucial to read the lease agreement thoroughly, so you know what is included in the rent and what obligations you have as a tenant.

There are many advantages to renting a property. Firstly, it can be cheaper compared to other forms of housing, meaning you can save money and spend it on other things. Secondly, it can be easier to move when you rent, as you don’t need to sell your property before moving. Thirdly, in many rental properties, you receive assistance from the landlord or the property company if there are issues with the rental, such as burst water pipes, blocked drains, etc.

All in all, renting is a good solution for those who want flexibility and do not want to commit to one place. A rental can be a cheaper solution than other forms of housing, and it is easy and flexible to move again when you rent, as you do not need to find a buyer, but simply need to terminate the lease and move to a new property when the rental period expires.

There are many different types of properties one can rent, including:

Apartment for rent in Germany

An apartment is a private dwelling in a multi-story building. Renting an apartment can be a good choice if you want to be close to the city, have access to public transport, and live close to other people. Read more about apartment for rent by clicking the link.

House for rent in Germany

A house is a building that serves as a home or residence for individuals or families, where the resident has the right to use the land on which the building is located. A house usually has an associated garden and other outdoor areas such as a driveway. Read more about house for rent by clicking the link.

Room for rent in Germany

A room for rent is a room that is rented out – typically as a sublet. Renting rooms is often time-limited, and one will typically sublet a room for rent for a shorter period, which can be from a few days to several months. Read more about room for rent by clicking the link.

How do you find a rental property in Germany?

Finding a rental property can be a time-consuming and, at times, challenging process, depending on the current housing market situation in the area you are looking in. Start by defining your needs and desires. Then, explore the market for available rental properties, for example, by searching on housing portals like Boligdeal.dk or by contacting property companies, property managers, or housing associations. Next, arrange viewings for relevant rental properties, and make an agreement with the landlord once you have found the right rental property. 

You can see a detailed description of how to find and rent your new rental property via our guides for searching for apartments for rent, searching for rooms for rent, searching for houses for rent.

Find a rental accommodation for rent in Germany online

The first and most important step in your search process is to gain an overview of available rental properties that suit you.  

Housingtarget.com gives you access to a wide range of available rental properties throughout Europe. Whether you are looking for a small rental, a larger rental property, an affordable rental, or a luxury rental, there are good chances to find the property you are looking for on Housingtarget.com.

You can filter your search and set up automatic search agents for housing rentals, which notify you about new rental properties that match your criteria. This saves time and allows you to quickly contact landlords who have rental properties that suit you.

Find an affordable long term rental

If you wish to find an economically affordable rental property, it's important to have as many options as possible to choose from. This is achieved by contacting various landlords of rental properties and scheduling viewings of the different available properties.

Once you have received the various landlords' price proposals, you can try to negotiate the price by presenting your own offer. By keeping several options open and contacting multiple landlords, you increase the chance of finding a landlord who is willing to match your offer.

The price you can negotiate depends a lot on supply and demand. So, by choosing an area with many available rental properties, you can increase the likelihood of finding a rental property at a favorable price.

Find a home for rent with the right size and layout

When you are looking for a new rental property, it is crucial that it can accommodate both your current and future needs. In other words, the rental property should be spacious enough for your current daily activities and plans you have for the near future. Are you expecting to expand your family, plan to live in the rental property for many years, or need space for a subtenant for a period?

The layout and floor plan of a home can significantly impact whether the property can meet your needs. Even if a rental property seems too small, optimizing the use of space through layout and good planning can often resolve this issue.

You can find inspiration for decorating your rental through these guides: Guide to furnishing your apartment, Guide to furnishing your house, and Guide to furnishing your room.

Moving into a rental home in Germany

Once you have found your future rental property, the next step is the move. It is essential that the moving process is well organized, and you focus on all aspects of the move.

Moving varies significantly depending on whether you are moving to a room or apartment or moving to a house. 

We have developed these guides to help you when moving into a rental property: Guide to moving into an apartment, Guide to moving into a house, and Guide to moving into a room.

Would you like to rent out a property?

If you have properties available for rent, you can find your new tenant via Housingtarget.com, one of the leading online platforms for renting out private properties in Europe. We are used by many landlords for property rentals, including property companies, housing associations, real estate agents, and administrators, etc., for renting out properties.

Housingtarget.com is visited daily by hundreds of people looking for available rental properties. When you advertise your available properties for rent on Housingtarget.com, they are exposed to a wide range of tenants, from students to families to seniors.

If you have a property for rent, you can always create an ad directly here. You can also actively search for potential tenants here. Additionally, you are more than welcome to contact us via email at [email protected] – we are ready to assist you with advice and help in creating your property ad.

We have created a guide that describes the rental process from A-Z for you: Rent out your property through 10 simple steps.

Use your common sense when looking for housing rental

When renting a property, it is crucial to check the landlord before transferring any money to them. Always get legal help to review your lease agreement before signing it. Arrange a viewing of the property, check the landlord's background, and get documentation verifying the landlord's right to rent out the property before signing anything or transferring money to the landlord. Most importantly: Use your common sense.

We have collected several tips on what to pay attention to in this guide: Check the landlord before renting a property.

Nice to know when you are searching for rental housing in Germany

Germany is greatly known as the country of beer, mountain scenery and tech businesses. It’s the second largest country in Europe after Russia at 83,190,556 inhabitants (2020). Germany has an important role in the EU as the largest economy and thereby also a big contributor to the union. Germany is divided into 16 states all with individual landscaping, traditions and look.

The largest state is called North Rhine-Westphalia and makes up about 15% of the population of Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the western part of Germany along with the states of Hesse, Rhineland - Palatinate and Saarland. Here you can experience some of the many cathedrals like the Kölner Dom in Cologne, or the Aachener Dom in Aachen, which is the burial place of Charlemagne and where more than 30 German kings have been crowned through the centuries. The landscape here is characterized by mostly rolling hills and fields and forests, but also mountains further south. There are many National parks in this area like Arnsberg Forest Nature Park, which is one of the largest wooded areas of Germany. The largest cities of these states are Düsseldorf, Cologne, Münster and Mainz.

The capital of Berlin is composed into its own small state, with a large number of citizens. It’s located in the Eastern part of Germany along the states of Saxony, Saxony - Anhalt, Brandenburg and Thuringia. The main attraction for tourists here would be Berlin. The city of glamour, grit, cutting-edge architecture, exclusive nightclubs and museums with some of the most influential stories of Europe's recent history. As the surrounding states were ruled by the Soviet Union government just 32 years ago, they’ve got many stories to tell, and historic sights to visit. The landscape in these states are characterized by Boasting forests, idyllic lakes and untamed rivers near Berlin, and rugged, rocky landscape further south.

In northern Germany lies the states of Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg. Here you’ll enter a never ending hindsight of green fields full of cows and rolling hills. Here you’ll also find some of Germany’s only coastlines. This area is especially known in Germany as the holiday destination, and some of the islands have reached a status like the hamptons in the U.S.

If you venture south by the autobahn into the southern states of Baden - Württemberg and Bavaria, you’ll reach the rocky mountains, rolling hills and the beginning of the alps. Here you can taste the infamous traditional dish of Schweinshaxe (Pork Knuckle). Some of the biggest cities in this area are Munich, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. In total, the two states house around 40% of Germany’s population, and are also economically the strongest in Germany.