Accommodation

1. Living in Germany is expensive. A German ends up paying half of his wages towards rent. If you don't want to trust your luck, you can consider several possibilities in looking for accommodation. 2. Offers of accommodation are available in local newspapers, usually in the Wednesday and weekend editions. You can also advertise that you're looking for a room. Classified newspapers specialise in advertisements. You could also find accommodation at your university. The ?notice-boards? are usually crammed with offers of accommodation scrawled on bits of paper. For those who arrive in Germany alone, flat sharing in so-called ?WGs? (Wohngemeinschaften), is a good way to get to meet people. 3. Many university cities have shared-living centers (Mitwohnzentrale) which help you find accommodation for limited periods on a commission basis. University residences also provide accommodation. Anyone looking for a flat through an estate agent must bear one thing in mind: two months? rent as advance is usually required. That is a lot of money and is not worthwhile, particularly for a short stay. But if you'd rather deal with an an estate agent, it's important to remember that the agent should be a member of the Ring of German Estate Agents (RDM). 4. The rooms here are indeed often very small, but on the other hand the cheapest available. Many dormitories now have bigger rooms and even offers for couples. The student services furnish addresses and information on the admission procedure for the student dormitories.