Into your studies, into your first own apartment? A great wish for many, but more and more difficult to realize. Affordable living space is becoming increasingly scarce, competition is unimaginably great, especially in popular cities, and landlords can choose freely, which increases the demands on tenants. The extent of the housing shortage is regularly evident at the beginning of the semester in Maroubra accommodation strongholds, where newly enrolled students have almost no chance of finding an apartment at affordable prices. Even small rooms with a few square meters have price tags of several hundred euros. Scarce supply and growing demand have been driving rental prices up for years.
Not only students but also people in other situations find it difficult to find accommodation. Young professionals, singles, small families, low earners – they all want affordable living space and are more looking for smaller rental properties – which makes them even more desirable and expensive.
Despite various programs designed to change this, the fact remains: there is too little affordable housing. The demand exceeds the supply anyway and also grows significantly faster. More and more high school graduates are attracted to the university; the number of single households is increasing. The competition when looking for a flat is increasing, and the likelihood of signing the desired rental contract is becoming smaller.
For the lease to work, you need tips on finding an apartment. Where should I look for offers? Which cities offer a particularly good housing market? Where is it almost impossible? We answer the most important questions and provide you with numerous apartment search tips so that you can quickly find a suitable apartment and move into your own four walls.
Finding accommodation Tips: This is how it works with the new apartment
The highly competitive housing market makes it difficult, but fortunately not impossible, to find a new apartment. Regardless of whether it is a small apartment or a large apartment with many rooms: You will find an apartment successfully if the search is structured and you pay attention to all important aspects to find suitable offers and to convince the landlord.
To help you with this, we have listed many apartment search tips for you:
Before you even have the chance to prevail against the competition and get the promise of an apartment, you first have to find suitable offers; this can be tedious and can take some time.
You have the best chances if you combine different options and channels and thus broaden your search radius:
Online housing markets
The first point of contact these days is always the Internet, where there are countless pages on which a wide variety of apartments are present for the offering. Thorough research in various portals is worthwhile here, as these can sometimes differ in the offers. Above all, use the filter options only to see the apartments that match your (price) ideas.
Newspapers
It may seem old-fashioned to you, but finding a flat does not just work digitally. Advertisements in local newspapers also continue to appear and offer the chance to find many objects. You should not leave this channel unused, and you may even discover an apartment that was not listed online.
Network and contacts
This point is often forgotten, but should not be underestimated: A large network of family, friends and acquaintances can be of enormous help in finding an apartment. Perhaps you know someone who knows someone who is currently looking for a new tenant, or you hear where an apartment becomes vacant and can be the first to apply.
How to contact the landlord properly
You are interested in an apartment, would like to see it and contact the landlord. There are several points to consider as a housing search tip. For one thing: Be quick! If you have found a suitable property, you should not wait a few days, first, look for alternatives and then take care of getting in touch.
That can be far too late. On the competitive housing market, the best deals are available in no time, so pick up the phone and call immediately to show your interest and make an appointment.
It is also important that you contact the landlord personally and by phone. In addition to the telephone number, there are often other contact options such as e-mail addresses, but you are not only particularly quick on the phone, you can also leave a friendly and open impression.
You must prepare these documents
Apartment owners and landlords want to know as much as possible about potential tenants, just for the sake of self-protection, to protect themselves from payment defaults and to have an accurate picture of the people who move into the living space. For you, this means that you should prepare some documents and have them at hand at all times.
Many landlords ask in advance to fill out a self- assessment that already contains basic information. Do not cheat here! If the details are beautified or falsified, it may not only be this apartment that is lost if it comes to light! Or do you think that landlords are not networked with each other?
For students, this self-disclosure is logical of particular interest:
- Who pays the rent?
- Are the monthly payments secured?
Also, there are typical documents that you need to find an apartment:
- proof of income
- Certificate of freedom from rent debt (from the previous landlord)
- Copy of the identity card
- Student ID and enrollment certificate (for students)
- Short application (CV with personal data, professional and family situation)
- Possibly a guarantee from the parents (especially among trainees, students and minors)
Even if these documents are not expressly requested, it is advisable to send them to the landlord in advance or to bring them to the viewing appointment without being asked. This act shows that you have dealt intensively with the topic and may give you the necessary edge over the competition.
Conclusion
At the end of viewing your appointment, you should once again express your interest to the landlord and in the best-case hand over a business card. That way, he has a memory of you in his pocket again and at the same time, has the necessary data to inform you about his decision. Anyone looking for an apartment these days is in for a real shock. The required monthly rents quickly exceed the budget, even for small apartments, or it is hard to find a suitable property even with a thorough search. However, the tips mentioned above will help you make a sound decision while getting yourself an accommodation.