Finding a home: the WG, Kaltmiete and the Hausordnung
Read a housing ad, ask about a room and the rent, understand Kaltmiete, Warmmiete and the Kaution, and follow the house rules: quiet hours, trash sorting and the Kehrwoche.
Living in Germany · Start from zero · 20 min · 20 exercises · Start from zero, Living in Germany, College
Finding a room is often the first big task in Germany. Students and young people usually live in a WG (Wohngemeinschaft), a shared apartment where each person has a room and everyone shares the kitchen and the bathroom. This lesson teaches the words in housing ads, the questions to ask at a visit and the rules of the house: quiet hours, trash sorting and, in the south-west, the Kehrwoche.
The home
- die Wohnungdie Wohnungenapartment
- das Zimmerdie Zimmerroom2-Zimmer-Wohnung = two-room apartment
- die WGdie WGsshared apartmentshort for Wohngemeinschaft, said We-Ge
- die Küchedie Küchenkitchen
- das Baddie Bäderbathroomalso das Badezimmer; the toilet is die Toilette
- das Schlafzimmerdie Schlafzimmerbedroom
- das Wohnzimmerdie Wohnzimmerliving room
- der Balkondie Balkonebalcony
- der Kellerdie Kellerbasement, cellaroften one storage room per apartment
- das Treppenhausdie Treppenhäuserstairwell
- der Mitbewohner, die Mitbewohnerinroommate in a WG
- der Vermieter, die Vermieterinlandlord, landlady
Inside the platform every word is read aloud by a German voice.
Looking at a WG room
Daniel visits a room in a WG in Stuttgart. Paula lives there.
Asking about a room
To look for a home, say Ich suche ein Zimmer (a room, das) or Ich suche eine Wohnung (an apartment, die). The key question is Wie hoch ist die Miete? (How high is the rent?), and the answer comes with kalt or warm: 450 Euro warm. Then ask Und die Kaution? and Ab wann ist das Zimmer frei? (From when is the room free?). Describe the place with mit: ein Zimmer mit Balkon, or with hat: Die Wohnung hat einen Balkon.
Reading a housing ad
| In the ad | Full word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Zi. | zwei Zimmer | two rooms (kitchen and bathroom are not counted) |
| 55 qm | 55 Quadratmeter | 55 square meters, about 590 square feet |
| KM 650 € | Kaltmiete | rent without heating and utilities |
| WM 820 € | Warmmiete | rent with Nebenkosten included |
| NK | Nebenkosten | utilities: heating, water, trash, building costs |
| KT | Kaution | deposit, at most three months of Kaltmiete |
| EBK | Einbauküche | fitted kitchen (not standard in Germany!) |
| möbl. | möbliert | furnished |
| ab sofort | ab sofort | available now |
Rent and the house rules
- die Mietedie Mietenrent
- die Kaltmietecold rent: without heating and utilities
- die Warmmietewarm rent: utilities included
- die Nebenkostenutilities, extra costsalways plural
- die Kautiondie Kautionendeposit
- der Mietvertragdie Mietverträgerental contract, lease
- die Hausordnunghouse rules
- die Ruhezeitdie Ruhezeitenquiet time
- die Besichtigungdie Besichtigungenviewing, visit of an apartment
- der Mülltrash, garbage
- die Mülltrennungtrash sorting
- die Kehrwochecleaning week (south-west of Germany)
- leisequiet, quietly
- lautloud, loudly
Inside the platform every word is read aloud by a German voice.
Sorting your trash (Mülltrennung)
| Bin | Usual color | What goes in |
|---|---|---|
| der Restmüll | schwarz oder grau | what fits nowhere else: tissues, broken cups, dirty packaging |
| der Biomüll | braun | food scraps: die Bananenschale (banana peel), der Kaffeefilter, garden waste |
| das Papier | blau | paper and cardboard: die Zeitung (newspaper), der Karton (box) |
| der Gelbe Sack / die Gelbe Tonne | gelb | packaging: die Plastikflasche without Pfand, die Dose (can), yogurt cups |
| das Altglas | Container: weiß, grün, braun | bottles and jars without Pfand, by color, never on Sundays or at night |
| Pfandflaschen | zurück zum Supermarkt | bottles and cans with Pfand go back to the Pfandautomat |
Kaltmiete, Warmmiete and the Kaution
The Kaltmiete is the base rent. The Nebenkosten (heating, water, trash collection, cleaning of the building) are added on top, and the total is the Warmmiete. Electricity (Strom) and internet are usually extra, even in a warm rent, so ask. Before you move in, you pay a Kaution: by law at most three months of Kaltmiete, and you may pay it in three monthly parts. The landlord keeps it in a separate account and pays it back after you move out, if the room is in good shape.
Hausordnung, Ruhezeiten and the Kehrwoche
Every building has a Hausordnung. Its heart is the Ruhezeit: usually from 22:00 to 6:00 or 7:00, and all day on Sundays and public holidays. In these hours no loud music, no drilling (bohren), no vacuuming (staubsaugen), and the glass containers on the street are off limits too. Showering is fine. In Baden-Württemberg, the south-west, tenants take turns with the Kehrwoche: for one week you sweep the stairwell and the sidewalk, and a small sign on your door says it is your turn.
On housing sites, search for WG-Zimmer and write a short, polite message: Hallo, ich bin Daniel, 20, Student. Ich suche ein Zimmer ab Oktober. Wann kann ich zur Besichtigung kommen? Answer within hours, bring a copy of your passport to the Besichtigung, and be on time.
In rent, kalt and warm are about money, not temperature. Three false friends: das Bad is the bathroom, not something bad; die Kaution is the deposit, not caution; der Keller is the basement, nothing to do with a killer. And das Zimmer is neuter, so it is ein Zimmer but eine Wohnung.
The exercises of this lesson
20 corrected exercises in two sessions (discovery, practice), including listening items read aloud by a German voice: multiple choice (4), fill in the gap (5), matching (3), sorting (2), word order (1), translation (3), find the mistake (1), gap text (1). Every answer is corrected immediately, with the rule that applies.