Where to Look for Housing in Germany: Portals, Chat Groups, and Documents for Renting

It’s best to look for housing in Germany through several channels at once: major real estate portals, shared apartment (WG) websites, local groups, local classifieds, and personal recommendations. Competition is fierce in large cities, so it’s important not only to use the right websites but also to have a complete set of documents ready for your rental application.

Major Portals for Renting an Apartment

Portal	What it’s good for	Comments
Immowelt	Apartments and houses for rent, with filters by region, price, number of rooms, and features	One of the major real estate portals; it’s convenient to save searches and compare listings
ImmobilienScout24 / ImmoScout24	Apartments, houses, new construction, and sometimes commercial real estate	A very popular channel, so good listings get a lot of responses quickly
Meinestadt	Local listings, especially by city and neighborhood	Useful as a supplementary source, not just for real estate
Kleinanzeigen	Classifieds, rooms, apartments, short-term rentals	Formerly eBay Kleinanzeigen; the name and domain have changed—it’s best not to use old links
WG-Gesucht	Rooms in shared apartments (WG), student housing, short-term rentals, and sometimes entire apartments	Especially useful for students, interns, and anyone who needs a quick short-term lease (Zwischenmiete)

There’s no single website that lists all options. One listing might appear only on ImmoScout24, while another might be posted only in a local group or on Kleinanzeigen. That’s why it’s best to set up search alerts on multiple platforms and respond quickly.

How to Search Beyond Real Estate Portals

In smaller cities and certain neighborhoods, local channels still work well. Sometimes an apartment is listed there before it appears on a major portal, or it may not appear in public search results at all.

Check out these sources:

• websites of local housing companies and Wohnungsbaugesellschaften;
• Studentenwerk websites, if you’re a student;
• listings on bulletin boards at universities, cafes, supermarkets, and the Bürgerbüro;
• local Facebook groups, Telegram chats, and neighborhood groups;
• the real estate section in local newspapers;
• Recommendations from colleagues, acquaintances, neighbors, and Russian-speaking/international communities.

In Germany, a personal recommendation can sometimes be just as helpful as a perfect application on a portal. If you already live in the city, it’s a good idea to casually mention to your friends that you’re looking for an apartment, a shared room, or a short-term rental.

What filters to use in your search

To avoid wasting time on unsuitable listings, specify your criteria right away:

• Warmmiete and Kaltmiete. Warmmiete includes Nebenkosten, but does not always include electricity, internet, and the Rundfunkbeitrag.
• Living space and rooms. In Germany, the number of rooms usually includes bedrooms and the living room, but not the kitchen or bathroom.
• Available as of. The move-in date may be more important than the price if you need a place urgently.
• Built-in kitchen. The kitchen may be missing or transferred for a one-time fee.
• Suitable for shared living. Not every apartment is suitable for being rented by several people together.
• Pets. If you have a pet, check the requirements in advance.
• Befristet or unbefristet. A fixed-term lease is a good way to start, but it’s no substitute for long-term housing.

If the market is overheated, expand your search radius: neighboring districts, suburbs, and cities with good public transportation sometimes offer better chances.

What to Prepare for Your Rental Application

Popular apartments get a lot of responses, so it’s helpful to put together a complete set of documents in advance. Usually, they don’t ask for everything at once, but being prepared speeds up the response.

The following are often useful:

• a brief cover letter: who you are, what you do, and who will be living in the apartment;
• Mieterselbstauskunft — tenant questionnaire;
• Recent pay stubs or proof of income;
• An employment contract or a letter from your employer, if applicable;
• SCHUFA credit report or a similar credit report;
• A certificate of no outstanding rent (Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung) from your previous landlord, if available;
• a copy of your ID or residence permit, but use this with caution and only when necessary;
• For students: an enrollment certificate (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung) and, possibly, a guarantor (Bürgschaft).

Do not send a complete set of sensitive documents to every unfamiliar contact before verifying the listing. First, make sure the apartment actually exists, the contact seems trustworthy, and a viewing is truly scheduled.

How to Respond to Listings

A short, concise message often works better than a long biography. In your initial response, include:

• who will be living in the apartment;
• What you do for a living and whether you have a stable income;
• desired move-in date;
• whether pets are allowed, if that’s important;
• when you’re ready to go to a viewing;
• that the documents for the application are ready.

Example of a neutral structure: a greeting, expressing interest in the apartment, 3–4 facts about yourself, convenient time slots for a viewing, and a willingness to send documents after the viewing or upon request.

What to Look Out For to Avoid Scammers

The rental market in Germany is competitive, and scammers take advantage of this. Be especially cautious of listings where the price is too low for the area, the landlord is supposedly abroad, viewings aren’t possible, and the keys are promised to be sent after an advance payment.

Red flags:

• A security deposit (Kaution) or the first month’s rent (Mietzins) is required before viewing the property and signing the lease;
• send a link to a suspicious payment service or key delivery service;
• They ask you to send your passport, SCHUFA report, and pay stubs right away for no apparent reason;
• The ad text seems formulaic and doesn’t answer specific questions;
• Photos can easily be found online in other people’s listings.

It’s normal to face some urgency in the market, but pressure along the lines of “transfer the money today, or the apartment will be gone” is a red flag.

A Brief Guide to Your Search

1. Set up your search on Immowelt, ImmoScout24, Kleinanzeigen, and WG-Gesucht.
2. Add local groups and housing company websites.
3. Prepare your rental application and a brief response template.
4. Respond quickly, but don’t send sensitive documents without verifying them first.
5. Keep a spreadsheet of responses: link, date, contact info, status, and time of viewing.
6. After viewing a place, be sure to clarify the Nebenkosten, Kaution, lease term, Küche, Haustiere, and Hausordnung.

Finding an apartment in Germany rarely happens with a single click. It requires a combination of approaches: multiple portals, local channels, quick responses, and carefully prepared documents.