The decision about whether to rent or buy a house/residence in canninghill piers depends on the length of the stay, as well as whether or not the house or apartment is furnished or not. The cost of choosing a home without furniture is cheaper, but it can mean that there are absolutely no fixed fixtures and equipment in the house or apartment, such as cupboards, kitchen-mounted cabinets, lighting fixtures, tables and chairs, curtain rods, and dishwashers.

And after the rental period is over, these items must be removed so that the condition of the place becomes as before. Using the services of a real-estate agent (immobilienhändler) or a house locator can help you quickly find the right place, because the real estate agent knows the city well. The cost of using the services of a house search agent is not included in the cost of renting a house and is paid directly to the house search agent company, amounting to one to three months of the cost of the house/residence occupied.

Suppose the cost of renting a house per month is a thousand Euros, then the fees to be paid to a home search agent are between one thousand and three thousand Euros. A security deposit of one to three months of rental fees per month and the first month’s rental fee must be paid in advance to the owner of the rental residence.

Overall costs to be incurred: one to three thousand paid to the housing agent, one to three thousand for the house deposit and one thousand for the first month’s rent paid to the owner of the rental residence, a total of three to seven thousand Euros in the first month, for the cost of renting a house is one thousand euros. It’s a pretty big expense when you first arrive, even before opening your suitcase and it’s possible you don’t have a bank account, so cash is required.

Another way to find a house besides using the help of a house agent is through newspapers (zeitung) or if a friend or relative has information about someone who is moving and needs a replacement or name exchange in their rental residence agreement, it will reduce expenses. It is also possible to search for a place to live via the internet.

However, through the web, only a few agencies offer rental housing. And just as advertisements in newspapers are reported, most advertisements on the web are also promoted, although some are promoted in English. Therefore, the help of people who can speak English is needed.

Here are some words related to housing:

• QM or M2 are square meters to indicate the size of the residence.
• The number followed by Zi indicates the number of rooms (zimmer).
• Number of rooms (#zimmer) also refers to the total number of rooms, except bathrooms and kitchens. Thus 5Zi denotes five rooms (both house and apartment): three bedrooms, a living room and a dining room.

On average each resident has access to 46.2 square meters of housing and statistically each residence is occupied by two people, with a rough estimate of one in six people living alone, and in 0.5% of residences occupied by three or more generations living together under one roof.

• BJ means baujahr which indicates the year the place was built.
• WC means toilet (toilet only, no soaking tub or shower); Bad means that there is a soaking tub in the bathroom (only a tub without a shower); and Du means that there is a shower in the bathroom, without a soaking tub.
• Some other information commonly found are: EG, OG, or DG, respectively mean ground floor, upper floor, or attic.
• Ka, Kt, or Kaut (kaution) means a warning, indicating that there is a deposit that must be paid on top of the rent, and will be returned to the lessee upon completion/stopping of the lease.
• Gepl (gepflegt) means in good condition.
• Ruh (ruhig) means a quiet/not crowded environment.
• NK (nebenkosten) means incidental costs, for example to pay for waste disposal fees, cleaning fees in the entrance area, water costs, heating costs, etc. Nebenkosten incidental costs are also known as umlagen. There are two parts to this incidental cost. Incidental costs that remain the same each month, and extra costs that vary throughout the year depending on the price set by the landlord.

Although electricity and gas costs can be classified into umlagen, electricity and gas costs are generally paid separately. Likewise, the other mentioned costs that fall into the umlagen category can be paid separately, especially for heating costs.

• Mobl (mobliert) means equipped with furniture.
• ZH (zentralheizung) means equipped with central heating.
• Balk (balcony) means there is a balcony.
• Gge (garage) means there is a garage.
• Gart (garten) means there is a garden, usually in the back.

Before signing a lease agreement, it is highly recommended to consult with a lawyer, even if your language skills are good, because the contents of the contract can be very long and written in legal/legal language that is not easily understood by ordinary people, and may contain various terms such as rent increases yearly, etc. If you use the services of a home search agent, the home search agent will take care of the files and help make an agreement with the rental owner. The rental agreement for a house or apartment for a predetermined period cannot be terminated earlier, except for circumstances that do not provide other options.
Some additional tips that are useful and to consider when renting a rental residence include:

1. Make an inventory of goods that come from the owner of the rental as well as goods that are privately owned/purchased by themselves.
2. Follow the rules made by the rental owner regarding washing clothes/laundry, grilling food (BBQ), bicycles and strollers, satellite dishes and radio or television antennas, and pets.
3. It is better to ask who is responsible for cleaning the area at the entrance, stairs, front door, etc., because there is a possibility that these things are the responsibility of the tenant.
4. Comply with city regulations regulated in legislation, regarding loud music playing, recycling activities, etc.
5. Avoid making noise between one and three o’clock in the afternoon and ten at night to seven in the morning from Monday to Saturday, and all day on Sunday.

For the purpose of using the residence in the long term, buying a house or apartment can also be a good choice, because resale can always be done afterwards.