How to Find Housing in Germany: Websites, Documents, and WBS

Looking for housing in Germany is best started not with endless scrolling through listings, but with preparation: understand your budget, choose areas, gather documents, and set up fast responses on several platforms. In large cities, competition is high, so the winner is not the person who finds the “perfect” apartment, but the one who responds quickly and neatly to suitable options.

Where to start your apartment search

Determine a realistic budget

First calculate how much you can reliably pay for housing. Listings usually use several different figures:

Kaltmiete — the base rent without utility costs;
Nebenkosten — additional costs such as building maintenance, water, and garbage collection;
Warmmiete — rent including Nebenkosten, but not always electricity, internet, and heating;
Kaution — the security deposit, which is often up to several months of rent without utility costs.

Prices vary greatly between cities and neighborhoods. Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and other major centers usually require more time, more documents, and faster responses. If your work or studies allow it, it is worth comparing nearby towns and neighborhoods with good transport links right away.

Define your criteria before you start responding

Write down the minimum requirements so you do not waste time on unsuitable options:

city, neighborhood, and distance to work, university, or school;
maximum Warmmiete;
number of rooms and minimum size;
floor, elevator, balcony, basement storage, bicycle space, or parking;
proximity to transport, shops, daycare, school, or a doctor;
willingness to consider a WG, temporary housing, or an apartment outside the city.

In Germany, the number of rooms is often counted differently than in some other countries: the living room is often included in the room count, while the kitchen and bathroom are usually not counted as separate living rooms.

Where to look for housing

It is best to use the main portals in parallel because listings are often not duplicated:

Immowelt — apartments and houses for rent and for sale;
Immobilienscout24 — one of the best-known real estate portals;
websites of municipal housing companies and cooperatives;
local groups, bulletin boards, university channels, and recommendations from acquaintances;
real estate agencies, if you are ready to account for a possible commission and contract terms.

Set up filters and notifications. In popular cities, a landlord may receive dozens or hundreds of responses in a short time, so a slow response often means the listing is already closed.

How to prepare a renter profile

A good response should be short, polite, and specific. Say who will live in the apartment, what you do, from what date you are ready to move in, and which documents you can provide.

Most often, landlords or property management companies ask for:

a copy of a passport or other ID;
proof of income, such as payslips or an employment contract;
SCHUFA-Auskunft, if it is already available;
Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung — confirmation from the previous landlord that there are no rent arrears, if you can obtain it;
for students, proof of enrollment, a scholarship, a guarantor, or another source of funding;
for benefit recipients, documents from the Jobcenter or Sozialamt if the housing must meet their requirements.

Do not send sensitive documents to everyone before viewing the apartment and checking the landlord. For initial contact, a brief introduction and readiness to provide documents on request are usually enough.

If your income is low, check whether you qualify for a Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS), a document that gives access to part of the subsidized housing stock. WBS does not guarantee an apartment, but it allows you to respond to listings that explicitly say this document is required.

Usually, WBS may be relevant for people with low income, unemployed people, pensioners, some students, families, and people receiving social support. The exact rules depend on the federal state and municipality.

What matters to check in 2026:

current Einkommensgrenzen — income limits for your household composition;
which type of WBS is possible, for example a standard WBS or a WBS with a higher income limit;
how many rooms or how much space is allowed for your Haushaltsgröße;
whether applications are accepted online or you need to contact the local Wohnungsamt;
which requirements apply to people with an Aufenthaltserlaubnis or another residence status.

In Berlin, official services state that the permitted income level depends on the household composition and the specific WBS category. So it is better not to rely on old fixed amounts from articles, but to check the current table on the city’s website or ask the Wohnungsamt.

How to improve your chances of getting a response

Prepare a standard response in German and adapt it to the specific apartment.
Reply quickly, but do not send identical messages without details.
Keep your documents in one PDF package so you can send them quickly after the viewing.
Arrive at the Besichtigung on time and prepare questions in advance about Nebenkosten, heating, internet, the deposit, and the move-in date.
Do not limit yourself to one portal: add housing companies, cooperatives, and neighborhood channels.
Consider temporary housing for the first few months if your move is close and finding a permanent apartment is difficult.

What to check before signing the contract

Before signing, check:

which amount is listed as Kaltmiete, Nebenkosten, and Kaution;
whether there is a Staffelmiete or Indexmiete, meaning a mechanism for future rent increases;
who pays for electricity, heating, internet, and the Rundfunkbeitrag;
in what condition the apartment is handed over and whether there will be an Übergabeprotokoll;
whether you may keep pets, do repairs, or sublet a room;
whether the landlord or management company matches the details in the contract.

Do not transfer the deposit or the first rent payment before you have properly checked the contract, the landlord’s identity, and their right to rent out the apartment. If the offer looks too good for the market and you are being rushed to transfer money, it is better to stop and verify everything.

Common mistakes when searching

looking only in the center of a large city;
focusing on Kaltmiete and forgetting about Nebenkosten;
sending an empty response without information about yourself;
waiting for the perfect option and missing decent apartments;
using old WBS information without checking your own federal state;
sending a full package of documents to unverified contacts;
signing a contract without understanding rent increases and additional payments.

Short checklist

The budget is calculated based on Warmmiete, not only Kaltmiete.
Neighborhoods and transport have been checked in advance.
Notifications on Immowelt, Immobilienscout24, and other channels are turned on.
A short response and the basic documents are ready.
Eligibility for WBS has been checked through the local Wohnungsamt if the income is low.
The contract and payments have been checked before transferring money.