Wohngemeinschaft (WG)
I always believe that the best way to get know a country is to learn its language and live with the locals. Living alone with a single room apartment, or living with other international friends in the student dormitory may seem convenient at first, but one would miss the golden opportunity of practicing the German language as well as learning the local culture and customs.
That said, I began my search for a shared flat, also known as Wohngemeinschaft or in short "WG".
In theory, the process is not complicated:
1) Search for a WG via online via portals like http://www.wg-gesucht.de/, or look out for advertisements posted on the University notice boards.
2) Contact the current tenants either via Whatsapp, call or e-mail. Provide a simple introduction about yourself. Key information include age, country of origin, occupation / field of study, hobbies and intended duration of stay.
3) Arrange an appointment to visit the room. Be punctual!
4) Current tenants would need some time to discuss and make a final decision. There have been cases where the candidate is offered the room on the spot.
5) If you receive a positive reply, you would meet the owner or property agency to sign the rental agreement (Mietvertrag).
6) Inform all the relevant institutions of your new address, especially the Citizens Office (Bürgeramt)! You will need to submit a "Wohnungsgeberbestätigung" to the Bürgeramt, which should be filled in and issued by the owner, or else you can get a blank form directly from the Bürgeramt.
My Requirements
My functional requirements when looking for WGs were pretty straight-forward:
1) Walking distance to the University, or one direct bus ride away
2) Walking distance to the supermarket and bank, or one direct bus ride away
3) Affordable (definition varies with location)
4) Adequate heating and lighting in the room, and decent hygiene level in the common areas
Their Requirements
My opinion of the WG market is that it is a sellers market, hence there are often many students vying for the same room, especially those which are located in prime locations at a good price. In my experience, I have visited great rooms which had easily more than 10 other candidates, and far-from-perfect rooms (pricey, small, poor bus connection) that also had at least 3 other candidates.
I would even go as far as to say that a visit to a WG is like attending a job interview, minus the formal clothing! The "interview" ranges from 15 minutes to over an hour, depending on how well you can communicate with your fellow prospective flatmates. There may be a positive correlation between visit duration and chance of acceptance into a WG.
At some point of the WG visit, you may be asked most of these questions:
1) Where are you from?
2) How old are you?
3) What is your field of study in the University?
4) Do you speak fluent German and/or other languages?
5) How long have you been in Germany and how long do you plan to stay here?
6) What are your hobbies and interests? Do you like outdoor sports?
7) Do you cook often? Do you like cooking together?
8) Do you consume alcohol? Would you go to the bar with us on certain days?
9) Do you have any dietary restrictions, such as being a vegetarian?
10) Do you smoke? Or is it acceptable that the smoker smokes at the balcony only?
11) Is it acceptable that we have guests staying over in the guest bedroom or our bedrooms from time to time?
12) How are you financing your stay here in Germany? Are you on scholarship or work part time?
13) Would you purchase the furniture left behind by the previous tenant?
14) Do you own a car or a bicycle?
It is very important to note that you do not have to say "Yes" to every question - just be yourself! Honesty is the best policy! In fact, some tenants are straight-forward about certain issues in their WG, for example, slow internet speed, absence of a washing machine, central heating and helpfulness of the owner (or the lack thereof). After taking you around on a tour of the whole flat while bombarding you with questions, you would be given the opportunity to ask further questions, perhaps over a cup of tea.
Hausordnung & Putzplan
If it has yet to be mentioned during the visit, you should ask about the Hausordnung (House rules). In addition to the standard Do's and Don'ts in the house, almost all WGs that I have visited have a Putzplan (cleaning plan). Depending on the number of tenants and size of the WG, this would typically be a weekly cleaning schedule, where each individual is tasked to clean a particular room (kitchen, living area, bathroom, corridor). The designation is usually on a rotation basis so that everyone cleans a different room every week.
Encounters, depicted in Pictures
It took me over a month before I finally succeeded in finding a flatshare. Competition is stiff, so be prepared to receive plenty of rejections along the way. Certain WGs may not meet expectations or are not comfortable to live in (dark, cold, unclean rooms). To summarize, here are some memes :D
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| Some tenants do not disclose the full rent amount on the listing site (unlike the majority), which I feel is pretty sneaky and dishonest. |
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| I contacted one of the tenants of a WG, his English was good but when I got to the flat, the other 2 girls knew ZERO English! It will be hard for me to learn German if my flatmates cannot explain anything in English at all. |
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| One WG that I visited had a girl whose parents owned the building. She literally booted the other tenant out (hence the free room) because she was not happy with the other tenant! |
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| Basically I was supposed to choose a time slot on Friday. I'm pretty sure that the translation was not from Google Translate! |
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| Courtesy is both ways; one should inform the other WGs if one has chosen another WG. Likewise, the WG should inform all other candidates once a decision has been made. |
