Newly renovated Gründerzeit house. Photo:Tiberius Gracchus - Fotolia

Apartments in Leipzig, Halle and Magdeburg


WARNING: Be aware of fraud accommodation offers - never transfer security deposit or any rental payment before signing the contract or getting to know the landlord !!!


As an enrolled student at any German university you can also find a room at the student hall. These shared flats or single apartments are managed by the student administration (Studentenwerk) and due to the high demand it is recommendable to ask for availabilities well in advance. First they serve students of their own university, but other students or PhDs are accepted in case of disposability.

Studentenwerk Leipzig

Studentenwerk Halle

Studentenwerk Magdeburg

Studentenwohnung.de

Studenten-WG/HousingAnywhere: Housing Anywhere offers new and fully furnished studio apartments for short- and long-term rental. (Please note that these apartments can only be rented by students and doctoral candidates.)

Real Estate platforms - houses, flats and rooms to hire

AreaOne

Immoscout24.de

Immowelt.de

Immonet.de

Ebay Kleinanzeigen

MeineStadt.de

Trovit.com

Shared flats

WG-gesucht.de (in English): WG-Gesucht is popular with people looking to move into a shared apartment. It also lists apartments (sometimes fully furnished) for short- and long-term rental. You can change the language of the website to English. Just enter your town into the search bar and select the type of accommodation you are looking for. Under “Other Details” you can set further criteria, such as “Furnished”.

easyRoommate

Furnished flats/rooms/houses

HC24 (in English) ---> HC24 offers fully furnished rooms, apartments and houses for short stays. Please note that you can only receive a binding offer and a contract 30 days prior to your arrival.

Private Offerings

Airbnb (in English) ---> Airbnb lists individual rooms and whole apartments, usually furnished, for short- and long-term rental. Please make sure that the host has official permission to let the property, since you will need an official ä Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord’s confirmation) in order to register an Airbnb property as your address in your town of stay.

 

Furnished apartments

Wallnuss-Residenz: Furnished appartments for a good price

Hirtzelstraße: Furnished appartments

YUMA apartments Leipzig: YUMA stands for Your Urban Managed Apartment and offers an innovative concept for furnished living, which provides business travellers in particular with a contemporary alternative to standard hotels and conventional serviced or furnished apartments.

Staytoo apartments Leipzig: Staytoo Apartments Leipzig offers apartments of various sizes with en suite bathroom and kitchenette. The apartments are furnished to a high standard. Rent includes all utility bills (heating, water, electricity) and WiFi. There are also communal areas for all residents

Basecamp Leipzig: Basecamp Leipzig rents out studio apartments of various sizes with or without a kitchenette. Rent includes Wi-Fi and all utility bills. The apartments are located in a new building in eastern Leipzig that also boasts various communal areas, a gym, a cinema and a sun deck.

HomeCompany: HomeCompany helps you find furnished apartments or houses for short-term rentals. You can either search on the website or write an email (leipzig@homecompany.de) containing the most important information about your stay (period, rent, number of tenants, apartment size) to the HomeCompany team, and they will look for a suitable apartment on your behalf.

Wunderflats: On the website Wunderflats you can search for furnished apartments in Leipzig. The apartments are for rent for one month and longer. The flats are fully equipped. Searching is possible on their website. The pool of apartments contains different sizes of flats for up to 6 people.

LWB (Leipziger Wohnungsbaugesellschaft): one of the largest municipal housing companies in Germany

General remark

Compared to other cities in Germany, living in Halle is quite affordable: Many apartments are available and the rent is generally low. Among students and doctoral candidates it is common to live in shared flats (German ‘WG’=Wohngemeinschaft). But you can of course also rent your own apartment. See below for information about how to find accommodation which corresponds to your personal needs.

Private and communal apartments

Waldstadt Boardinghouse Halle: simple and cheap furnished apartment for a lower price.

Housingtarget.com: housing search engine for Halle

HWG: housing association Halle

Guesthouse from MLU

Georg Forster Haus: The international guesthouse of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has some furnished apartments for international scholars and researchers at its disposal. They can be rented from 4 weeks to 1 year.


Private and communal appartments

Die Stadtfelder: housing association (Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft)

WOBAU Magdeburg: housing association

MWG: housing association

GEWO: private housing company

Guidelines for international tenants in Magdeburg

GuidelineMagdeburg (761.6 KB)

Information Housing Market Magdeburg

Rental charges


Most apartments in Germany are let unfurnished, although occasionally cooking facilities are provided. The costs for accommodation only are quoted as rent, excluding utilities (in German: Kaltmiete). Added to this, there are additional costs or running costs. What is actually included depends on the rental contract. Usually, charges for heating, water, refuse collection and property management are included in this; they make up approximately 25% of the rent, excluding utilities costs. If the additional costs are already included in the rental charge, this is called rent including all utilities costs (in German: Warmmiete). Electricity is usually charged separately by an electricity supplier of your choice, with which you must register yourself.

Rate comparisons of electricity providers

Verifox

Stromtipp.de

Check24.de

Deposit (Kaution)


If you rent accommodation, you will generally have to provide a deposit amounting to 2 or 3 months’ rent when you move in. After you move out,the deposit will be returned to you within 3 months, provided that there is
no damage to the accommodation.The rental period begins when both the landlord (Vermieter), and the
tenant (Mieter) have signed the contract. By signing the contract, both parties agree to observe its terms, which set out the amount of rent to be paid (Miethöhe), the rental term (Mietdauer), the number and the size of
the rooms that can be used, the utilities, repair costs, who is responsible for decorating, and how notice (Kündigung) must be given (usually three months in advance).

WARNING: Never transfer money before signing the contract or getting to know the landlord!!!

Obligations in the rent contract

The rent contract may include special rules for the house, often called the Hausordnung. This means that the tenant has to clean (part of) the stairs/hall of the house on a regular basis, and perhaps clear snow from
footpaths around the house in winter. Many rental contracts incorporate these into the Nebenkosten, and the work is done by a facility manager (Hausmeister) or a service company. Most contracts specify that excessive
noise should be avoided between 22.00 and 07.00. If you are planning a party that might be a little loud and go on a little late, you should warn your neighbours in advance. If you are planning to have a pet, please check with
your landlord that pets are allowed.

List of abbreviations

List of abbreviations

RUNDFUNKBEITRAG/Broadcast contribution

Germany has a public broadcasting service. This includes the group of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandfunk. These channels are received freely on radio, TV and online. The broadcasting companies have a statutory mandate to inform, educate, counsel and entertain as many people as possible. To achieve this, every household has to pay a broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). This fee of currently 17.50 € per month finances the public broadcasters.

When several people live together in one household (couples, families, WGs), the fee has to be paid only by one person.

Registration is possible here (in German only)

More hints and useful information regarding changing address/moving home

you find on MELDEBOX (at the moment only in German)