Apartment Hunting - What to watch for

My lady and I are starting our apartment search in Munich. Besides the basics, are there any important questions we should be asking?

Crosslink by admin: Apartments in Munich

If the kitchen is included.

If there are any agent' fees (Maklergebühren) involved. These guys will really fleece you and do basically bugger all.

Don't forget to bring lightbulbs - the germans even take these with them when they move (I shit you not - you will probably find you have pipes sticking out of the wall instead of a bathroom and kitchen).

Good luck.

Check for rent increases that are built in after x years.
If there's an underground garage do you get a space included? Can you then rent it out if you don't need it?
More generally, check the 'nebenkosten', other charges that you have to pay apart from the rent.
Lightbulbs alone aren't enough, bring the fittings too. (No shit).
Pets, of course. Noisy neighbours (church, railway etc.).
Believe nothing you hear from the Makler, they are most often self serving, deceitful, overpaid bastards.

And a tip that helped me is take some letters from your employer stating that you are in full time employment, and how much you are paid. Many locals are afraid that foreigners won't pay the rent and will just skip the country.

PP

Some places require the tenants to clean common areas themselves. I think this is getting rarer (cleaning is usually included as part of the nebenkosten), but worth asking about.

Probably uncommon, but my flat doesn't have central hot water! A big gas heater in the shower is included with the flat that heats the shower and sink in the bathroom on demand, but we had to buy and install a small water heater for the kitchen sink (like what a lot of offices have.) We didn't catch the lack when viewing the apartment because we could never have imagined such a thing.

Also, one of our rooms doesn't have the gas heating unit that the rest of the rooms has, so we have to use an electric unit in winter when we want heat in that room (which happens to be the biggest in the flat.)

Lesson learned: look out for unrenovated flats! On the positive side, it is pretty cheap for its size.

I agree 1000%. Well said.

yeah, so check with your employer whether they are paying for the Maklergebühr.. and if they are not, use the websites or local papers (or here) to find a place... total rip-off otherwise

-If you're unsure as to how long you'll be in Munich, ask for a "diplomat's clause" in your rental contract. That way if you get laid off (like I did) you can break your lease early.

-If you get stuck with a maekler, tell the landlord that he/she should pay half the fee as a condition of you moving in.

Thanks for all the tips. I've read enough horror stories to know not to get involved with a Makler. The light bulbs thing is definitely something new.