Finding

Accommodation
in Marburg
for international students

INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
 FOREWORD

We hope that the information in this bro- Legal information

chure will help you in your search for a Editorial staff: Carmen Fels, Nicole Gal-
place to live in Marburg. Please feel free landt-Lautier, Julian Klauke
to contact us any time if any information
is unclear or if you have questions. We Last updated: July 2015
will be glad to assist you.
Available through the International Office
Links of the Philipps-Universität Marburg, In-
You can click on words marked with to comings: International Student and Scho-
be taken to the corresponding web page. lar Services (ISSS)
International Office and Family Disclaimer
2
Services No information in this brochure is bin-
Incomings: International Student and ding. The publishers assume no responsi-
Scholar Services (ISSS) bility for actions based on information
provided in this brochure. It is the re-
Deutschhausstr. 11+13 sponsibility of the reader to verify the ac-
35037 Marburg curacy of information provided herein.
tel.: +49 6421/28 24 929
e-mail: [email protected]

Foreword
 CONTENTS

General Information 4
Time and duration of your search 5
Personal ideas about accommodation 5
Marburg – geographically speaking 6
Costs 6

Living Arrangements 7
Dormitories 8
3
Student housing office dormitories 8
Service package provided by the student housing office 8
Private dormitories 10
Private housing market 11
Living in exchange for some help 11
Online apartment listing 12
Short term renting 16

Practical Tips 18
Life in shared apartments 19
Furniture and furnishings 21
Abbreviations in Ads 22

Contents
 GENERAL
INFORMATION
 GENERAL
INFORMATION
Time and duration of your Personal ideas about ac-
search commodation
Marburg is a city with a high percentage There are very many students seeking a
of students in its population. This gives place to live at the start of the semester in
Marburg a very special atmosphere, so- Marburg. Of course, most of them want
mething cherished by many. But it also low rent, a big room, and an apartment
means that many students – especially at close to the university or in the middle of
the beginning of a semester – are simul- town. You, too, probably have an idea of
taneously in search of a room. Many how your new home should look. For
rooms and apartments are likewise vaca- particularly attractive rooms and apart-
ted at the end of each semester because ments (for example, large, inexpensive
numerous students graduate, continue rooms in the center of town) there are li- 5
their studies in another city, or move kewise lots of people interested. While
away to complete an internship. So the you should not accept an offer that does
best time to search for a place to live in not appeal at all to you, you should go in-
Marburg is at the end of a semester. As to the search knowing that no room will
the new semester approaches, the search fulfill all your wishes – so be prepared to
becomes increasingly difficult. It is thus make compromises.
important to start early and allow your-
self time for the search because it can ea- In the event that you don’t like your ac-
sily last weeks until you find what you are commodation and you would like to mo-
looking for. ve, we recommend waiting a few weeks
until later in the semester. While there are
For many options (for example, in a dor- fewer options during the semester, there
mitory) you have to apply very early. In- are also fewer students searching for an
formation on various application deadli- apartment during the semester – so your
nes can be found in the respective chances are often very good.
chapters of this brochure.

General Information
Marburg — geographically categories: a so-called cold rent and a warm
speaking rent. Cold rent entails only the bare rental
price of a “cold” apartment, i.e. rent wi-
Marburg is a relatively small city with ma- thout the cost of utilities. Warm rent is
ny different districts, with a total populati- the cold rent plus utilities (expenses for
on of around 75,000. As a student you water, electricity, heating, garbage disposal,
automatically receive a Semesterticket, etc.). Utilities in private apartments are
with which you can use the entire bus and normally estimated. In the event that you
train network throughout the state of use less than the estimated amount, you
Hesse. This ticket is also valid for the bu- will be reimbursed the difference at the
ses in Marburg, which run very frequently. end of the subsequent year. Should you
It is thus not necessary to live close to the use more than the estimated amount, you
university or in the center of the city be- will have to pay the remaining difference.
cause you can travel from almost any part This is referred to as a back payment (Nach-
of town to another in less than 30 minu- zahlung in German). In addition to cold
tes. and warm rent there are often additional
fees for telephone, internet, and television
The University of Marburg is not a cam- expenses.
pus university. That means that the insti-
tutes and lecture halls are spread throug- When you enter a rental agreement you 6
hout Marburg, so your classes will not will normally have to pay a deposit in the
necessarily take place in the city center. amount of one to three months of cold
For some majors (e.g. chemistry and me- rent. The deposit will be returned to you
dicine) it can therefore even be advanta- when you move out, provided that the
geous to not live in the center. apartment is left in good condition and
you always paid your rent. The security
deposit exists to protect the landlord.
Costs
Monthly rent in Germany falls under two

fraud warning
You may possibly encounter fraudulent advertisements during your search
for living quarters. We therefore strongly discourage you from sending a po-
tential landlord any person information (for example, a copy of your pass-
port) before having seen an apartment. You should also not transfer any mo-
ney before a rental agreement has been finalized.

General Information
 LIVING
ARRANGEMENTS
 DORMITORIES
Student housing office rental agreement and information about
dormitories the room. If you agree to the terms of the
contract, return the signed contract to the
The student housing office of the Uni- housing office.
versity (Studentenwerk) offers living space in
dormitories at affordable prices (around If you do not get a room for the date you
200-250 € per room per month). Types of were hoping to move in, you will automa-
living space available range from single tically be placed on a waiting list. You’ll
rooms to a room in a shared suite or lar- remain on the list for three months star-
ger apartments. Most rooms are in shared ting with the original date you were ho-
living space arrangements where the kit- ping to move in. Should you still not have
chen, bathroom and other common areas received an offer by the end of this three-
are shared among the students. The hou- month period and you are still interested 8
sing office also offers special apartments in living in a dormitory, then you should
for families and persons with disabilities. contact the housing office in advance
All rooms are furnished. and let them know that you are still inte-
rested and that you would like to remain
The option of living in a dormitory is wi- on the waiting list.
dely known and popular among students,
so there are very many students who apply
for a room through the housing office. Service package provided
For this reason it is very important that by the student housing of-
you apply as soon as possible. It can ne- fice
vertheless happen that the housing office
is not able to offer you a room for the The housing office has developed a speci-
first one or two semesters. al service package for international students .
You pay the full amount one time and re-
When the housing office has a room be- ceive in return the following services:
come available for you, they will contact
you two to three weeks prior to the date
when you could move in and send you a

Dormitories
Private Housing Market Short Term Renting
Warm rent monthly rent is relatively inexpensive. As
After transferring full payment, you have an example, the monthly rent for the win-
a guaranteed dormitory room for six ter semester 2015-16 came out to:
months. For this time period your rent is
already paid. After the six months period
has passed you may be able to keep the
room if you indicate this wish in advance.
Crediting your U-Card
The U-Card is a money card with which So the service package is a good choice
you can pay for things at various locati- for all students who would like to live in a
ons in Marburg. You can use it to eat in dormitory and can pay the full amount
the cafeteria, to pay at the coffee machi- due at once. Application deadlines are 31
ne, or for printing or copying documents July for the winter semester and 31 Janua-
in the library or other university buil- ry for the summer semester.
dings. The U-Card also functions as your
library ID for checking out books. The
service package includes a U-Card with a
250€ balance.
Semester fee 9
All students are required to pay this fee at
the beginning of the semester. It is, ho-
wever, not a tuition fee! The semester fee
is a flat fee for services provided by the
student union, a contribution for the re-
presentation of student interests (the so-
called Allgemeinen Studierendenausschuss AS-
tA), an administrative fee from the uni-
versity and the cost of the Semesterticket
for usage of the public transportation
system throughout all of Hesse.
Along with the costs for the service
package comes a deposit, which will be
reimbursed to you at the end of your
rental period (see costs section).
With these additional services included in
the service package, the resulting actual

Dormitories
Private Housing Market Short Term Renting
Private dormitories some cases you may be able to receive
some furniture from them.
In addition to the student housing office
dormitories in Marburg there are also a Vilmarhaus
number of privately operated student The Protestant church in Marburg offers
dormitories. students from all departments and inde-
pendent of their religious and cultural
For most of these dormitories you’ll like- background a total of 112 single rooms in
wise have to apply for a room. It can take three buildings. Each room is 11.5m² in
several weeks before you find out whe- size and costs approximately 260€ per
ther or not your application was success- month including all utilities.
ful, so be sure to apply early. More detai-
led information on the application
process and application deadlines are
available on the individual dormitory web
sites.
Collegium Philippinum
The Collegium Philippinum is a self-go-
verned dormitory of the Philipps-Uni- 10
versität Marburg with a total of 39 places.
Due to the various forms of subsidizing
the warm rent here is very economical
(between 98 and 162€ per month), but
this dormitory also has a certain philoso-
phy whereby helping out with various of-
fices and duties is expected of the ten-
ants. You’ll find an exact description of
life in this dormitory in the information
pamphlet .
Diakonissenmutterhaus Hebron
The Protestant Deaconry Marburg leases
several room on the Hebronberg. Cur-
rently there is room for approximately 30
students, both in the shared suites and in
single rooms. The monthly warm rent lies
between 230 and 330€. The rooms are
normally rented without furniture, but in

Dormitories
Private Housing Market Short Term Renting
 PRIVATE HOUSING
MARKET
Most students in Germany do not live in for a limited time (two semesters at the
dormitories. Rather, they find an apart- most) while they are completing an in-
ment on the private housing market. ternship or studying abroad. Sometimes it
There are lots of different options out is also possible to negotiate assuming ow-
there that differ in room size, number of nership of individual pieces of furniture
rooms, number of roommates, price and with the previous tenant. You’ll find in-
other things. formation for acquiring furniture inex-
pensively under furniture and furnishings.
On the private market it's very important
to consider beforehand what exactly it is
that you’re seeking so that you don’t lose Living in exchange for so-
track of your goal as various possibilities me help
surface. It will be easier to find your right 11
match if you at least know what you The Marburg student housing office, to-
don't want. gether with the Freiwilligenagentur Mar-
burg, has initiated a project called Wohnen
If you are searching on the private hou- für Hilfe (Living in exchange for some
sing market it is very helpful to be help) . The project follows a specific
present in Marburg during your search so principle: Students can live in a room or
that you can look at listings directly. This apartment for free or at an economical ra-
helps you get a better impression of the te. In return they perform small chores in
place, and it also helps protect you from the household of the landlord, for exam-
fraudulent ads (see fraud warning). You’ll ple yard work, assistance with shopping,
find tips for accommodation during your or visits to the doctor.
apartment search under short term
renting. This option is especially popular with ol-
der people who need support in their daily
Unlike dormitory rooms, for example, living and who have an entire apartment
rooms on the private market are normally or a room available. But there are also
rented out unfurnished. An exception is young families who sign up because they,
so-called subletting (Zwischenmiete in Ger- for example, need support with child care.
man), where someone rents their room The university housing office helps

Private Housing Listings

Dormitories Short Term Renting
connect landlords and students. They Online apartment listings
use a questionnaire to help match people
with similar ideas of a harmonious living In Germany many apartments and rooms
together. You can enter in the ques- are listed online by private individuals.
tionnaire which type of support you can The people behind the listing are normally
see yourself providing. All the details plus either the landlord, the prior tenants, or
the range and amount of support to be the people still living in the apart-
provided will be discussed in an informal ment/room. The advantage of this for-
personal meeting before the rental con- mat is that it enables you to take up direct
tract is finalized. contact with the landlord or flatmates.
If you can imagine yourself in this sort The online ads include all types of listings,
of support role, you may find this type including apartments, shared apartments,
of opportunity very lucrative because via guest rooms or subleasings. These pages
this arrangement you would not only ha- are also continually updated, so you
ve an inexpensive room but also a valua- should check these listings frequently to
ble living arrangement that would provi- increase your chances of finding some-
de you with insight into the life of thing.
Marburg townspeople.
The shared apartments (Wohngemeinschaften
or WG in German) often receive many 12
inquiries to their listings and only select a
small number of people they would like to
meet personally. It is common to make an
appointment (Besichtigung in German) after
initiating contact in order to go by the
apartment and meet the others with
whom you would be sharing the apart-
ment. This sort of meeting usually lasts
around 15-30 minutes and helps both si-
des to decide if they could imagine living
together. The tenants who placed the ad
then select the one person among all the
candidates who they feel will fit in with
them the best. Normally, you will receive a
response within a few days of meeting the
flatmates (more on life in shared apart-
ments).
Contact is normally initiated via telephone

Private Housing Listings

Dormitories Short Term Renting
or e-mail. If you write an e-mail, you on what they are seeking and expecting in
should tell a little about yourself so that terms of living together. The fraternity
the flatmates can get an idea whether or listings are easy to identify since they eit-
not you might be a good match for them her directly mention that they stem from a
(see example below). Here it’s a good idea student fraternity or since they provide
to create a standard text, which you can very inexpensive rooms in large
then quickly adapt for various listings and apartments with many flatmates and a big
send out to lots of shared apartment lis- common area that is usually located near
tings. If there is something in the listing the castle.
that you are especially drawn to (for ex-
ample, a common hobby), you can men- Privatzimmerbörse
tion it in order to demonstrate that you The Privatzimmerbörse (private room lis-
would fit well into the group. You can al- tings) is maintained by the student hou-
so include your cell phone number so sing office, which maintains the web site
that you can be called back. If you are and offers basic support to the landlords.
not in Germany at the time you initiate The listings here, however, are from pri-
contact, you can explain that and ask if vate individuals and not from the student
they would be interested in meeting via housing office itself. This forum is especi-
Skype. ally popular with landlords who do not
want to advertise on large web sites. Old
Student fraternities (Studentenverbindung or listings are not always deleted right away. 13
Burschenschaft in German) also often post So when you are looking here, be sure to
listings on these sites. Fraternities main- check the date and the rental timeframe
tain a special form of living together and mentioned in the listing.
housemates are selected accordingly. If
you are interested in one of these listings,
you should gather information in advance

TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected]
SUBJECT:Your listing on WG-Gesucht

Hello Lisa,
I loved your ad on WG-Gesucht and it sparked my interest. So I would be really interested in
meeting you and the rest of the WG.
My name is Ana, I’m 20 years old and I come from Colombia. I’ll be coming to Marburg for
the Wintersemester to study Germanistik for a year, and I would very much like to live in a
WG during my time in Marburg.
Aside from my studies I like sports, especially volleyball, and I like to watch movies. Just like
you, I love cooking and of course I'd love to show you and the others in the WG some
Colombian dishes.
I’d be glad to come by and see the WG.
Best regards,
Ana

Private Housing Listings

Dormitories Short Term Renting
WG-Gesucht (“Seeking a shared advantage of this forum is that it is widely
apartment”) used within Marburg. But outside of Mar-
This is the most widely known online fo- burg there are few people who are familiar
rum for room in shared apartments or with it so there are many listings but
WGs. It offers many listings that are con- comparatively fewer people who apply.
tinually updated. Many students post The listings are constantly updated so it is
their listings here when they want to mo- important to regularly check for new lis-
ve out of an apartment or when a room tings.
becomes vacant in a WG. On this site
there are not only lots of listings, but ma- facebook
ny of them also vary widely from one There are various facebook groups where
another. To more quickly locate listings apartment and room listings are posted.
that are relevant to you, you can filter the These listings are often also on other web
listings by various criteria. WG-Gesucht sites, but sometimes they are listed exclu-
is widely known, so there are many lis- sively here. If you use facebook, this can
tings but also many applicants. It’s per- be a good opportunity to quickly establish
fectly possible for a listing to be online contact. In these groups you also have the
only for a few hours because they tenants option to post your own search by telling
already received a high number of inqui- a little about yourself and what you are
ries in a very short time. For this reason looking for. Sometimes landlords respond
it’s important to regularly search for lis- to these searches who would prefer not 14
tings and initiate contact with lots of publishing a listing themselves.
WGs because doing so increases your
chances of being invited to view the Several groups:
apartment and meet the potential flatma- • wg zimmer wohnung in marburg room
tes. flat apartment rent
• Uni Marburg WG Börse
Similar web sites: • WG in Marburg gesucht!
• www.studenten-wg.de • WG Zimmer frei in Marburg
• www.zwischenmiete.de • Wohnungsmarkt Marburg
• www.wgfinden.de • WOHNUNGSmarkt Marburg - KEI-
• www.wg-cast.de NE WG!
• www.studenten-wohnung.de • Wohnungen frei in Marburg
Marburger Express Property management firms
The Marburger Express is a free local Many property owners prefer not having
newspaper with a web page for to tend to their real estate on their own
accommodation listings. The site unfor- and so they hire property management
tunately has no filter function even firms to complete this work for them.
though the listings are very diverse. The These firms also manage the acquisition

Private Housing Listings

Dormitories Short Term Renting
of a new tenant for an apartment when a tings, organize apartment showings and
tenant has terminated their lease. But of- finalize the lease contracts. When renting
ten it takes a while for a listing to be pu- through a realtor you often have to pre-
blished, so it can be helpful to contact sent a series of documents that demons-
the property management firms directly trate you will be able to pay the rent in
and inquire about vacant apartments. question.
This way you can sometimes get an
apartment very quickly before its vacancy The majority of listings with a realtor are
is even published. full apartments, though there are also oc-
casionally rooms in shared apartments. If
There are several property management you are planning to remain in Marburg for
firms in Marburg. Here are some an extended period of time, living to-
examples: gether with your family, or will be starting
• Marburger Haus- und Grundstücks- your own shared apartment, you can
verwaltung search for listings here.
• Studentenwohnheim Peter
• SHG Hausverwaltung mbH The following web sites are portals where
• Hausverwaltung Konrad Stolp realtors publish their listings:
• 1A – Top – Immobilien • www.immobilienscout24.de
• HVS Marburg GmbH • www.immowelt.de
• HSB Haus- und Grundstücksverwal- • www.immonet.de/hessen/marburg- 15
tung GmbH biedenkopf-wg.html
• www.immobilo.de
GeWoBau Marburg • www.meinestadt.de/marburg/immobi
The city of Marburg itself also rents lien
apartments that it manages through Ge- • www.wohngemeinschaft.de
WoBau. On their web site you’ll find cur- • www.wohnungsboerse.net
rent listings with an exact description of
the rental unit. If you are interested in a
listing you should not let yourself be put
on the applicant list; instead, contact Ge-
WoBau at the telephone number or e-
mail listed. Though there is still a link for
an application on the web site, the admi-
nistration is no longer using the online
application process.
Realtor portals
Apartments in Germany are sometimes
brokered by realtors who manage the lis-

Private Housing Listings

Dormitories Short Term Renting
 SHORT TERM
RENTING
There are special options for those who in a hostel, hotel or B&B. Many places are
will only be in Marburg for a few days or then quickly fully booked. If you plan to
weeks. The aforementioned sites normal- stay in Marburg during this time, we re-
ly only have listings where the person will commend reserving a room several weeks
be renting for at least one month. If in advance if possible.
you’ll be coming to Marburg for an in-
ternship, a research visit or you’ll only be For very brief stays or for the time when
in Marburg for a brief time for whatever you are searching for an apartment, you
reason, you’ll probably be better off sear- may want to think about staying a few
ching for a Ferienwohnung (vacation rental) nights with friends you might already have
or a room in a hotel or youth hostel. This in Marburg. That way you would not only
option can also be suitable as a tempora- have a place to sleep, but you’ll also come
ry solution for the time when you are into contact with other students who may 16
searching for a long-term solution. know someone else who has a room for
long-term rent.
Often you’ll be charged per overnight
stay, which can be relatively expensive Marburg youth hostel
when added up for a month. So during The Marburg youth hostel is centrally located
semester breaks it can pay off to search in Marburg and has rooms with 1 – 6
the online apartment listings for a rent beds. Costs per overnight stay are at least
duration of two weeks to two months 22€.
since many students sublet their rooms
while they’re on vacation or away com- Hostel Marburg One
pleting an internship. But usually there Hostel Marburg One is located in direct vici-
are not that many of these listings. For nity of the Hauptbahnhof and has rooms
brief periods while the semester is in with 4 – 6 beds. Costs per overnight stay
progress, it is highly unlikely to find an are at least 20€.
apartment or room to sublet.
Privatzimmerbörse
Shortly before the semester begins there The Privatzimmerbörse (private room listings) is
are lots of students in Marburg who are maintained by the student housing office,
searching for a place to live, and they stay which maintains the web site and offers

Short Term Renting

Dormitories Private Housing Listings
basic support to the landlords. The re to write up a friendly profile so that
listings here, however, are from private other users have a good impression of
individuals and not from the student you. Establishing contact is no guarantee
housing office itself. This forum is that you will be able to stay in the apart-
especially popular with landlords who do ment because the hosts must first check to
not want to advertise on large web sites. see whether or not they can host you in
Old listings are not always deleted right the time frame you’ve requested.
away. So when you are looking here, be
sure to check the date and the rental A couchsurfing stay should normally not
timeframe mentioned in the listing. last longer than a few days since you really
are only a guest.
Tourist information page for the
city of Marburg
Here you will find many different types
of listings for rooms in Marburg: Hotels,
vacation rentals, private rooms, hostels,
etc.
AirB’n’B
AirB'n’B is an online portal for private
persons who want to rent either their en- 17
tire apartment or individual rooms for se-
veral days. You have to open an account
in order to place an inquiry. A room lis-
ting does not automatically mean that the
room is actually vacant during the period
of your search. This often has to be clari-
fied directly with the person who placed
the ad.
Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is an online community whe-
re (often young) people offer a place to
sleep in their apartment. These listings
are normally for free since the people
placing the ads are primarily interested in
meeting people from other countries and
showing hospitality. You have to open an
account to be able to establish contact
with potential hosts. You’ll want to be su-

Short Term Renting

Dormitories Private Housing Listings
PRACTICAL
TIPS
 LIFE IN SHARED
APARTMENTS
The most popular form of living among ving together with those people.
students in Germany is the shared apart-
ment (Wohngemeinschaft / WG in German), Close vs. distant WG
where a large apartment is shared with WGs can be very different in terms of
other students and rented together. what it means to them to live together.
Usually the kitchen, bathroom, and living Some WGs find it very important to
room are shared with the other flatmates spend a lot of time together, go to parties
and each individual has their own room. together, play games together or cook to-
Because in many German cities there are gether. Other WGs spend very little or
not enough single apartments, the shared even no time together and only live since
apartment is an economical and sound it’s often more economical or because
alternative. At the same time it’s an op- they haven't found another apartment.
portunity to come into contact with other WG’s where the flatmates spend little time 19
students and perhaps even to find fri- together are called practicality WG’s
ends. (Zweck-WG in German).
Several people live together in a WG, When you’re searching for a place to live
each with their own wishes and ideas. So in a WG you should ask yourself whether
in order for the living arrangement to you want to spend time with your flatma-
function well, many WGs try to find flat- tes or if you want to be alone and live in-
mates that are a good match for them. In dependently. Many WGs include a short
a WG it’s also necessary to come to an description in their listing what sort of
agreement on certain rules so that ever- WG life they are seeking. These descripti-
yone lives together happily. The following ons, however, are based on the self-as-
points are some examples for typical ru- sessments by the flatmates, so a similar
les. But there are many more areas where description among different WGs can
there may be rules (for example, separa- mean very different realities. The most
ting trash, WG parties, etc.). Because the accurate impression of what it will be like
rules can vary widely from one WG to to live with the flatmates will be when you
another, you should ask the WG mem- go to look at the apartment and meet the
bers during a visit how they run things so flatmates. You should therefore closely
that you can decide if you can imagine li- read what the flatmates write in their ad

Life in Shared Apartments

After Moving In Abbreviations in Ads
about life in the WG but don’t let the or landlord are not responsible. Should
statements keep you from applying. The someone slip and fall in front of the buil-
statement “keine Zweck-WG” (“not a ding and injure themselves, the tenants
practicality WG”) does, however, always can be held responsible and possibly be
mean that the flatmates are interested in required to cover medical expenses of the
some form of communal living situation. injured person(s).
WG finances Smoking
Independent of the type of living situati- Many WGs indicate in their posting whe-
on in the WG, they also vary in regard to ther or not they are smoke-free. Some
shopping arrangements. In some WGs all WGs allow smoking throughout the
groceries and daily commodities are apartment while others want smoking to
purchased out of the so-called WG wallet be limited to certain rooms (for example
(WG-Kasse in German), into which all the in one's own room). And other WGs want
flatmates pay regularly. In most WGs, ho- no smoking at all in the apartment, neither
wever, grocery shopping is separated so in the common areas nor in the private
that each flatmate can purchase the gro- rooms.
ceries they want and place them in their
own compartments and shelves in the
kitchen, while staples such as cleaning
supplies, printer cartridges, oil, and salt 20
are purchased together.
Cleaning schedules and snow re-
moval
When different people live together there
are also different definitions of hygiene
and cleanliness. Many WGs therefore ha-
ve a cleaning schedule that sets forth who
cleans what part of the apartment when.
For dishwashing there are often special
rules that are independent of the cleaning
schedule.
Sometimes the cleaning schedule includes
other chores such as cleaning the stairs,
setting out the trash bins for garbage re-
moval or snow and ice removal. Especial-
ly snow and ice removal are very import-
ant and may not be forgotten if the city

Life in Shared Apartments

After Moving In Abbreviations in Ads
 AFTER MOVING IN

Furniture and Furnishings the seller's location so that you won't have
to transport any furniture a long way.
Since many rooms are rented unfurnis- Praxis GmbH
hed, many students are on the lookout Praxis GmbH is a non-profit employment
for an economical way to furnish their and training organization that focusses on
place. The larger furniture stores in Mar- providing long-time unemployed people
burg and the surrounding area offer new with a good job. As part of its operations
but likewise expensive furniture. In addi- it runs a thrift store where you can buy
tion to those stores there are also many used furniture and home furnishings. Pra-
options for acquiring furniture and other xis GmbH also sells used electronic app-
furnishings economically and in some ca- liances in its second hand store called Re-
ses used. lectro. 21
Marburger Express
facebook
On the web page of the local newspaper There are also various groups on facebook
Marburger Express there are not only lis- where many items are offered at cheap
tings from apartments and rooms but al- prices or even for free. Listings are often
so for furniture and household items. only current for a very brief time, so here
Flea markets
it’s important to be quick.
In Marburg there are regularly occurring The following two groups are the most
flea markets where private persons sell important for Marburg:
their old or unwanted items. Here you • Flohmarkt Marburg
can try negotiating a cheaper price with • Verschenk‘s MARBURG
the seller.
eBay classified ads
In addition to auctions, eBay also offers a
classified ads section where you can find
many listings for furnishings. Here you
should pay particularly close attention to

After Moving In
Life in Shared Apartments Abbreviations in Ads
Legal questions Depending on the arrangements of the
building, setting out the garbage for re-
After moving in, there are some legal is- moval is either done by a janitor service or
sues to observe for living in Marburg. by the tenants themselves. Relevant provi-
sions are usually stated in the lease con-
Registration with the authorities
tract or in the house rules. The city of
All persons moving into a new apartment Marburg provides a schedule specifying
in Marburg have to register with the city which trash will be collected when.
office (Stadtbüro) within the first two Tenants association
weeks after moving in. Apart from iden- In case of damage in the apartment or
tity papers (e. g. passport or European ID problems with the owner, the tenants as-
card) you will need to bring a confirmati- sociation (Mieterverein Marburg und Umge-
on form sign by your landlord/landlady bung e. V. ) can provide support and gui-
(Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) . dance.
Licence fee
In Germany, all inhabitants pay a month-
ly licence fee (Rundfunkbeitrag) for public
broadcasting services (via radio, televisi-
on, and the internet). After registering 22
your apartment with the authorities you
will receive a letter with specifications on
the licence fee. In a shared apartment,
one joint payment for all flatmates is
enough.
Janitor services and snow-clea-
ring
Your lease contract might include addi-
tional obligations to be fulfilled by the
tenant such as cleaning the stairs, taking
out the trash for waste collection or re-
moving snow and ice on the sidewalk.
Read your contract carefully to make sure
whether you are responsible for clearing
and securing the sidewalk to prevent pe-
destrians from slipping (as a tenant you
can be help responsible for covering me-
dical bills of injured pedestrians).

After Moving In
Life in Shared Apartments Abbreviations in Ads
 ABBREVIATIONS IN
ADS
In apartment listings there are sometimes lots of abbreviations, many of which are often
difficult to understand. In the table below you'll find important abbreviations and their meaning.

2 MM KT 2 months' rent as deposit NK/NBK utilities

2-Zi-Whg 2-room apartment NkVz advance payment for utilities
Abstellk storage room NR non-smoker
BaWa bath thub OG upper floor
Blk balcony renov. renovated
D entryway SpüMa dishwasher
DU shower Stellpl. space (usually for a car or bikes)
DaBO attic TG underground garage
DG top floor TL daylight
23
EB first tenancy VB asking price
EBK built-in kitchen w female, number and m or w (e. g. 2
EFH single family house m, 1 w) = number of male and
female (w) flatmates (in the
EG ground floor example: 2 male flatmates, 1 female
G-WC guest restroom flatmate)
HK heating costs WaMa washing machine
Inet internet Wfl. living space
KM cold rent (excludes utilities) WG Wohngemeinschaft/shared flat
Whg. apartment
KT security deposit
male, number and m or w (e. g. 2 WK eat-in kitchen
m
m, 1 w) = number of male and warm/WM warm rent (includes utilities)
female (w) flatmates (in the ZH central heating
example: 2 male flatmates, 1 female
flatmate) ZKB room, kitchen, bath
MM monthly rent zzgl. plus

Abbreviations in Ads
Life in Shared Apartments After Moving In