German rental terms explained
Every German apartment listing and contract is full of compound words that decide what you actually pay and sign. Here they are in plain English, grouped so you can find them fast – the money words, the documents, the people, and the housing types.
Money & rent
- Kaltmiete (cold rent)
- The base rent for the apartment alone, without utilities. The deposit cap and many comparisons are based on this figure.
- Warmmiete (warm rent)
- Kaltmiete plus Nebenkosten. Closer to what you actually pay each month – always compare listings on the Warmmiete.
- Nebenkosten / Betriebskosten (service charges)
- Running costs like heating, water, rubbish and building upkeep, added on top of the cold rent. Settled once a year against your advance payments.
- Kaution (deposit)
- Security deposit, capped at three months' Kaltmiete and refundable after you move out. Full guide →
- Provision / Maklergebühr (agent commission)
- A fee if an estate agent (Makler) is involved. For most rentals the party who hired the agent pays – so tenants usually don't. Listings marked provisionsfrei have no agent fee.
- Staffelmiete (stepped rent)
- A rent that rises by fixed amounts on set dates, agreed in the contract in advance.
- Indexmiete (index-linked rent)
- A rent tied to the official cost-of-living index, so it can rise as inflation does.
- Genossenschaft (housing cooperative)
- A member-owned housing organisation, often cheaper and more secure, though you usually buy shares to join.
Documents & checks
- SCHUFA
- Germany's main credit bureau; landlords use a SCHUFA report to check payment reliability. New arrivals often have no record yet. SCHUFA for foreigners →
- Mieterselbstauskunft (tenant self-disclosure)
- A standard questionnaire about your job, income and household that landlords ask you to complete. See documents →
- Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung (no-arrears confirmation)
- A note from your previous landlord confirming you always paid your rent – a strong trust signal.
- Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord confirmation)
- Your landlord's signed confirmation that you live at the address, required for the Anmeldung. Anmeldung guide →
- Anmeldung (address registration)
- Registering your address with the local authority; needed for a bank account, tax ID and more. Full guide →
- Übergabeprotokoll (handover protocol)
- A written record of the apartment's condition and meter readings at move-in and move-out – protects your deposit.
People & roles
- Vermieter / Vermieterin (landlord)
- The person or company renting out the apartment.
- Makler / Maklerin (estate agent)
- An agent who markets the apartment and handles viewings, paid via Provision.
- Bürge / Bürgschaft (guarantor / guarantee)
- A person or provider who vouches for your rent if you can't pay. A parental guarantee is free; a commercial deposit guarantee costs an annual fee.
- Hausverwaltung (property management)
- A company managing the building on the owner's behalf – more formal than a private landlord.
- Nachmieter (replacement tenant)
- Someone who takes over your lease when you leave early, subject to the landlord's approval.
Housing types & extras
- WG (Wohngemeinschaft) (shared flat)
- A shared apartment where you rent a room and share the kitchen and bathroom. Applications go to the flatmates themselves, so personality matters.
- Zwischenmiete (sublet / interim rent)
- Renting a place temporarily, often furnished – handy while you search for something permanent.
- möbliert / unmöbliert (furnished / unfurnished)
- Unfurnished German flats sometimes come without a fitted kitchen (Einbauküche) – check the listing.
- WBS (Wohnberechtigungsschein)
- A certificate for subsidised housing, available below certain income limits. German guide →
- Zimmer (rooms)
- Room count excludes the kitchen and bathroom. "2 Zimmer" means two rooms plus kitchen and bath; "1,5 Zimmer" includes one small half-room.
- Kaltmiete abbreviations (KM / WM)
- Listings often shorten Kaltmiete to "KM" and Warmmiete to "WM". "NK" is Nebenkosten.
Understand the listing? Let the tool write the letter
WohnungsBewerber reads the German listing for you – rooms, m², Kaltmiete, location, features – and writes a personal application letter in German, then pre-fills the contact form. You review and send it yourself. Free, data stays local.
Add to Chrome – free Free · No sign-up · Data stays local · You send it yourself