How to find an apartment in Berlin: 4 unconventional methods that actually work
Yeah, looking for an apartment sucks almost everywhere. Especially if you are looking to rent in a popular city like Berlin. The usual path is to go via portals, look at ads, apply and be one of hundreds of applicants.
You can throw some money at the problem and pay someone to look for an apartment for you. Or throw even more money at the landlord and get something very expensive with little competition.
This is, unfortunately, a common path for newcomers to Berlin. But once you are settled at least temporarily, you can try these four unconventional approaches:
Disclaimer: No LLM was used to write this article.
Advert in the newspaper or in the classifieds
I’ve done this myself back in the days in Stuttgart when it was still possible at Immoscout (short description in German with a photo). The logic is simple: some people need to rent out their place, BUT don’t want to deal with hundreds of applicants. In Berlin, a reasonably priced apartment will receive hundreds of applications in minutes.
One of the newsletter readers took this approach in Berlin and on Kleinanzeigen back in 2022. He posted a paid ad offering €2000 cash incentive plus 3x monthly savings if the rent stayed below €1600. Added his requirements, description about him and his wife, plus their photo. Result: 8 offers in one week. Do it in German.
Print posters and hang them around the neighbourhood
You’ve probably seen those handwritten posters taped to lampposts - people desperately advertising that they’re looking for apartments. Turns out this actually works.
Tim from Prenzlauer Berg proved it recently (paywall). He made 99 posters with his photo and offered a €500 reward. Within hours, he had his first offers, and two days later, he had a new apartment. The method is so effective that I’ve seen people offering up to €5000 in Berlin.
The logic is similar to newspaper ads - you’re reaching landlords (and their friends) who want to avoid the chaos of hundreds of online applications. You also catch all those people who aren’t online much. Don’t forget to add a photo and do it in German.
Create an amazing application
This is the tip I actually stole from a friend when she was applying for apartments in Berlin a year before me. Based on her template, I created a very sexy looking application where I used a good photo along with a nice design. It’s almost like a portfolio where all the required documents are attached as a separate page, so the printout or a PDF looks extremely sleek. I added recommendations from work and all the rest that I felt would help my case.
Based on this application alone, I have received 4 offers in one week. And my boss at the time told me he would give me the apartment in no time.
BUT! I was also not as picky as I should have been, and I had the income and CV that looked very good, which probably also helped.
Ask for time-bound or commercial contracts (Berlin)
We have rent controls in Berlin, so landlords are looking for ways to protect themselves. I am not going to argue if this is ok or not, and I certainly don’t support the attitude of some of the landlords, but if you are a freelancer or have a company, this could be an option too…
One landlord explained it bluntly: he’ll rent to anyone asking for “vorübergehender Gebrauch” (time-bound) or “teilgewerbliche Nutzung” (partially commercial) because rent control doesn’t apply. These contracts let landlords circumvent the regulations that can otherwise make rentals loss-making. If you add this to your application, you will, fortunately or unfortunately, really stand out, and they will be more likely to rent to you.
Bonus recommendation: Join Berlin’s renters association early
If you’re planning to live in Berlin, join Mieterverein before you even arrive. Their legal insurance has a 3-month waiting period, so join now to be covered when you need it and before signing your long-term contract.
This gives you legal backup for disputes with landlords, which is a great value-add of the membership. You can check Berlin Mieterverein or Mieterschutzbund.
Good luck!
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