Sex, drugs, music, politics and free love – things were hot in the legendary Commune I, which was founded in West Berlin over 45 years ago. Today, the word “shared apartment” hardly has anything revolutionary about it. The shared apartment has arrived at the center of society. Students in particular appreciate the flexibility and low costs of a shared apartment ; A good one in five of them lives in a shared apartment. Maybe this type of living is right for you too? To find out, in today's article we'll look at the shared living arrangement from all sides.
WG wanted: The right model for every type
In a shared apartment, several people live together and share the kitchen, bathroom, hallway and sometimes the living room. Usually two to six people share a house or apartment. But more than ten people can also live together! There are many different ways for students to experience shared apartment life:
Friendship shared apartments : Parties, game evenings and cooking together: In non-purpose shared apartments, the focus is on personal relationships and joint activities between the shared members. Living with friends is fun, but it can also be a test for friendship. A good friend doesn't automatically make a good roommate!
Purpose shared apartment : In the purpose shared apartment, people who are not related to each other share living space to save money, but otherwise mostly stay out of each other's way. Most organizational matters are clarified with cleaning plans and a shared fund. A good solution for students who like to have some peace and quiet or study in their hometown where they already have a large circle of friends.
Student Association : Members of student associations can often live cheaply in the fraternity houses. Disadvantage: Student associations do not have a good reputation in Germany. The accusations: hierarchical structures, right-wing extremist tendencies and an antiquated image of women. Phew. It's difficult to make a commitment for life just to be able to live cheaply.
Living for help : In this unconventional project, students live with people in need, mostly pensioners. Part of the rent goes towards auxiliary work such as: B. Shopping or mowing the lawn. The rule of thumb is: 1 hour of work for 1 square meter of living space per month. Unfortunately, housing for help is not yet available in every student city.
Is a shared apartment actually right for me?
Sure, a shared apartment has many advantages :
- Save on rental costs
- Larger living space affordable
- Joint activities such as B. Cooking or going out
- Make new contacts quickly
- If you have foreign roommates: improve your language skills easily
On the other hand, there are also a number of disadvantages :
- Limited privacy
- Less peace and space
- Consideration and willingness to compromise are unavoidable
These points should be carefully weighed up against each other. People often look for a shared apartment even though this type of living does not suit the person in question. You're not sure whether you'll be happy in a shared apartment? Then, as with so many things in life: just try it out! Even if it doesn't work out in the end, the shared experience in a shared apartment is a unique experience.
Markus Henrik takes an ironic, sharp look at the world of shared apartments in his funny guide The WG Lexicon: Parties, Protest and Procrastination . Whimsical and enlightening!
This is how you find your dream shared apartment
Anyone who has ever looked for a shared apartment knows: Many landlords don't want shared apartments in their house because they cause unrest and more administrative work. If you still want to start a new shared apartment with a few friends or acquaintances, you should, in addition to the usual criteria, pay particular attention to the suitability of the apartment as a shared apartment :
- Large living room or large kitchen for shared use
- As large a bathroom as possible
- No connecting rooms
- Low soundproofing of walls and ceilings
- Similar sized shared rooms
If you are looking for a shared apartment after moving to a new city, it is often easier to join an existing shared apartment . This is how you can continue your search:
- Real estate sections in daily newspapers, e.g. B. City newspapers
- Ask friends and acquaintances
- Use social networks
- Bulletin board in the university
- Co-living centers/agencies
- WG online portals
The quickest and easiest way is via the Internet. Popular and free providers with an extensive range of apartments include: b.
- www.wg-gesucht.de
- www.immobilienscout24.de
- www.wgfind.de
- www.studenten-wg.de
- www.studenten-wohnung.de
- www.noknok-home.com
- www.wg-cast.de
Our editorial favorite is www.wg-gesucht.de : free, commission-free and with shared apartment offers throughout Europe. At www.immowelt.de we like that you can be informed by email about new offers that are compiled according to your own search criteria. At www.wg-cast.de the applicant is the focus. Here you can place an ad yourself, i.e. introduce yourself to interested shared apartments with a profile.
The shared apartment from a legal perspective
A rental agreement should always be read carefully and calmly, even if it “only” applies to a shared room. With a rental agreement checklist, the important details of the contract can be better tracked down and evaluated. In principle, several constructions are legally possible for the design of a shared rental agreement:
One main tenant/several subtenants
One resident concludes a rental agreement with the landlord, the others live with him as a subtenant, which must be expressly permitted by the landlord. The main tenant is responsible for fulfilling all obligations under the rental agreement, ensuring regular payment of rent and ensuring that the subtenants adhere to the house rules. However, he also has the power to choose the subtenants and, if necessary, to terminate individual subtenants at short notice. When the main tenant moves out, the subtenants can take over his contract with the landlord, but there is no right to do so.
Several main tenants
With this form, several or even all residents are registered in the contract with the landlord. Everyone has the same rights and obligations and is jointly liable to the landlord, for example in the event of loss of rent. But that also means that all decisions such as: B. the termination of the contract must be decided jointly. If one of the main tenants moves out, a new tenant can enter into the existing rental agreement as part of a change agreement, provided the landlord agrees. A successor clause defined in advance makes this easier.
Multiple rental agreements per apartment
Each resident has their own contract with the landlord, in which the living space used is specifically noted (e.g. room plus proportionate use of kitchen and bathroom). Each tenant is legally independent and is liable for themselves. Terminating an individual tenant is possible without any problems. This variant is quite complex for the landlord and offers less security, so it is rarely encountered. It may happen that the landlord allocates one or more rooms as he sees fit. The shared apartment then has no influence on new roommates.
A lot of specific problems can arise when it comes to tenancies in a shared apartment , e.g. B. regarding the minimum rental period, renovations or necessary repairs. If you have specific questions, you can use this online tenancy law encyclopedia to get a good overview. A checklist for the apartment inspection will help you assess a potential shared apartment before you move in.
The right city is half the battle
How much a shared room costs varies from city to city . In large university cities like Frankfurt or Munich, students dig deeper into their pockets than in smaller cities like Göttingen or Erlangen. If your dream course of study is only available in Hamburg or Düsseldorf, you'll have to bite the bullet for better or worse. Things look different, for example: E.g. with business administration: It's available almost everywhere and you can look for a city that won't put too much strain on your wallet. Here is a great overview of the shared room prices in the most popular student cities .
The square meter shared apartment is particularly inexpensive in the new federal states . You can study wonderfully and live inexpensively in Leipzig, Dresden or Rostock. In any case, you should consult the current rent index before signing a rental agreement . It provides information about the typical local comparative rents. By the way: Even if you live in a shared apartment, you may still be entitled to housing benefit . You can find out whether you are eligible here .
In addition to rent, you have to take these expenses into account
Before you get excited about the cheap rent for your shared room, you should find out what additional costs you will incur . Good to know: Only 17 operating costs are permitted:
- Heating
- Water supply
- Central hot water preparation
- Connected heating and hot water supply systems
- sewage
- elevator
- House lighting
- Garbage collection & street cleaning
- House cleaning and pest control
- Chimney cleaning
- Garden maintenance
- Washing machine and dryer rooms
- Antenna/cable connection
- Janitorial services
- Property tax levies
- Property and liability insurance
- Other regular operating costs
As long as there is nothing in the rental agreement for the shared apartment about additional costs, they must be paid by the landlord. However, this is rather the exception. The following items may under no circumstances be billed as operating costs by the landlord; corresponding agreements are not permitted:
- Administrative costs (e.g. bank fees, postage & telephone costs)
- Maintenance reserves
- Loss of rent, legal protection, household contents, repair cost insurance
- Canopy cleaning
- Green roofs
- Various maintenance costs (door intercom, locking system, smoke vent)
- Loan interest
- Contributions for landowners' associations
You will also have to pay expenses for electricity, telephone, DSL and possibly insurance . There are many tariffs specifically for students. A comparison is worth it! At the comparison portal Check24.de you can filter out the cheapest providers for you with just a few clicks. Of course, we also regularly present the best bargains and particularly lucrative offers to you here in the blog. (Yeah, self-praise and all… J)
And what about the GEZ fees ? From 2013 onwards, the contribution of 17.98 euros per month will only be charged once per shared apartment, regardless of how many devices are actually available. This relieves the burden on many shared apartments. If all shared apartment residents are BAföG recipients, an exemption from broadcasting fees can be applied for.
A nasty surprise in some places is the second home tax that many cities and municipalities levy. It is between 5 and 23% of the annual rent. Since students like to list their parents' home as their main residence, they are often affected by this. You can avoid the tax by simply registering with the residents' registration office in your place of study .
And finally, for a shared apartment, a rental deposit and possible brokerage fees may also apply. These annoying costs each include up to three months' rent and must be paid in advance. So it's an advantage to start life in a shared apartment with some savings on the high side.
You can find out exactly how else you can save on housing expenses that arise in addition to rent in the article How to get your money's worth when it comes to housing .
Finally: moving into the shared apartment
You looked for a shared apartment for a long time and finally found one. Now the move is about to begin. The easiest way to organize things is with a practical moving checklist . As a student, you obviously don't want to spend huge amounts of money on a moving company. It's worth comparing individual moving companies online . You can find lots more help and links on the subject of moving here .
Another tip: In some cities, students receive a hefty welcome bonus for their move, sometimes also called a moving bonus or moving allowance. To do this, you must register your main residence in your new place of study . If you spend most of your time in the city where you study, this is required by law anyway. So, off to the office! Between 50 and 150 euros are available - a great subsidy for the housewarming party with all your moving helpers.
WG-Zoff? No thanks!
Peace, joy and pancakes? That might be asking a bit too much. But with a little good will, the biggest sources of conflict in everyday shared living can easily be avoided. Here are our tips for living together harmoniously :
Draw up a cleaning plan
The only effective way to organize different ideas about order and hygiene in a shared apartment in the long term is a cleaning plan. If the roommate tends to interpret the plan sloppily, checklists will help maintain minimal cleanliness standards. (E.g. “Kitchen – wiping surfaces, washing dishes, taking out the trash, tidying up the refrigerator.”) You can find cleaning plans to download and print out here .
Label refrigerator compartments
Mine, yours, ours? The more people live in a shared apartment, the more confusing it becomes when it comes to the question of who bought what. If everyone has their own compartment in the fridge, arguments over food can be avoided.
Hang up a shopping list
Shared products such as dishwashing liquid, spices or toilet paper should be purchased alternately. A clearly visible list, e.g. B. on the refrigerator, helps to keep an overview. Better than a shared household budget - it often causes more problems than it solves.
Announce parties in advance
Spontaneous parties with loud music and lots of friends obviously have their charm. But what if your roommate urgently needs to study or just needs sleep? It's worth being considerate here. Then there is a higher probability that others will let you talk to you when you need a little peace and quiet. A shared apartment party should be organized and not just take place spontaneously.
Establish visiting regulations
It can be really annoying when five old school friends come to your shared apartment over the weekend. Or the roommate's girlfriend is there 90% of the time and always uses everything without paying. Clear regulations, possibly with fees for visitors, reduce the likelihood that aggression will build up in the shared apartment.
Cast new residents together
Ideally, a new shared member should be inspected by everyone. Only then can it be ensured that the chemistry between the long-time residents and the newcomer is really right. And that the new resident wasn't just chosen because of his big stereo or his cute accent.
Room available – subtenant wanted
Who knows what life is like... Maybe you've just moved into an incredibly great shared apartment and just at that time the confirmation for the six-month dream internship in New Zealand flutters into your mailbox. What now? One solution is to temporarily sublet your shared room. In principle, nothing stands in the way of this - the landlord must give his consent, but may only refuse it if there are important reasons. You can find a sample sublease agreement at immobilienscout24.de. For your security, you should ask for a rental deposit . You can do this even if you haven't left a deposit with your landlord. Maybe roomsurfer.com is right for you? Here you can sublet your room to people from all over the world on a daily basis. The special thing about it: With the help of a matching process, the interests of the host and those looking for a room are compared beforehand.
A matter of habit – alternatives to shared apartments
Living in a shared apartment is just one of many options for students. If it turns out that you're not the type of person to live in a shared apartment, you have the following options :
Dorm
The flat-rate housing allowance for BAföG recipients is currently only 224 euros. In order to stay within this framework, a student dormitory is ideal. Around 230,000 inexpensive places are provided by the German Student Union and other providers such as: B. Offered to churches or student associations. The equipment can vary greatly. It is not uncommon for a room in a dormitory to be at least partially furnished. Whether there is a close community between the residents or not depends on the respective dormitory and the living culture prevailing there. Attention: A dorm room cannot be sublet!
Room for subletting
In principle, it's a kind of shared apartment and almost always cheaper than owning your own apartment. It is often older people whose children have left the house who offer a room to sublet, e.g. B. via a shared accommodation center . Living together can take many different forms, from mere accommodation to intensive conversations and joint excursions. There are usually many unofficial house rules that have to be adhered to, for example regarding the volume level in the evening. Living as a sublet tends to be more for quiet people who find there is too much hustle and bustle in a “real” shared apartment.
Own flat
Students with permanent partners or children and those who can afford it are more likely to move into their own apartment than into a shared apartment. In your own four walls you don't have to take into account the quirks and quirks of your roommates and you can design everything as you wish. However, this option is also the most expensive form of housing for students. And for people living alone, it's significantly lonelier than everyday life in a shared apartment.
At home with mom and dad
If all else fails, you can of course continue to live at home with your parents as a student (or again) if the university is in the immediate vicinity of your hometown. It's comfortable at home; the laundry is being washed and the refrigerator is full. But the older you get, the more conflicts arise. Those who live exclusively at home during their studies often later regret having missed out on typical student life. Therefore, if at all possible: away from home and discover the world!
Pictures: fun , apartments , washing up , free rooms (Flickr)
