No light fittings in a newly rented apartment

The place I've just moved into doesn't have any light fittings where the lightbulbs would normally screw into. Instead there are a couple of wires sticking out of the wall. According to my new landlord this is perfectly normal in Berlin and it's up to me to fit these myself, I assume he's right as so far he's been pretty decent but just wanted to confirm here.

Also, can anybody recommend a shop that sells light fittings? Any advice on installing them? (Perhaps I should pay a professional to do this for me? :))

This is normal. Do you have a kitchen?

Your landlord is not having you on: that is indeed perfectly normal.
I can't recommend light-fitting shops in Berlin, but can say that they are dead simple to connect. Flip the relevant circuit breaker off, wire em up and off you go.

We bought ours at Segmuller (home store, that I think they must have in berlin).

You can also buy some at IKEA.

Otherwise, ask your coworkers for a recommendation on places to go.

Yes I do have a kitchen, but no washing machine. Apparently having any kind of a kitchen at all is a bonus!

Thanks for the light fittings information, personally I'd be a bit wary of installing these. The wiring I can handle but I always get nervous about drilling holes in walls/ceiling to screw these things into. I keep thinking it'll fall out. I'm a 30 year old DIY virgin.

Welcome to Berlin and the wonderful world of apartment renting!

You sometimes dont even get a bathroom!

Goodluck with your DIY

Ah it's not all bad, my place in Berlin is three times the size of my place in Dublin and also cheaper!

Yes it's normal, and you can get them at Ikea

Its one of those odd quirks that you encounter when you move to another country. Germans are always amazed to discover that electrical appliances in the UK are often sold with no plug on them. Or that the bathrooms have carpets and the washbasins dont have mixer taps.

Just use your laptop for light man...

When I got a new bathroom put in in my house in the UK I had to put my foot down to get a mixer tap.

"Ahhhh boy, I'm not sure it's even allowed to have them, it'll be the only mixer tap in the village!" etc.

Yes...weird as it may seem, normal practice.

I had to get my mate to hold a torch so i could get the light fittings up in the cellar!

Welcome to Germany

Welcome to Germany and have you noticed the toilet yet?

Torches? Cellars? You live in an old medieval castle?

not all of us are blessed with The Poop Shelf.

Didn't you have a look at it before you moved in?

If there's also no kitchen you could always get a hotplate, and then light stuff on fire with that. Two birds, one hotplate.

Be thankful that it's only missing lights. Fifteen years ago it was normal for people, upon moving out, to take every bloody electrical (mains) socket, switch and faceplate, leaving only the wires coming out of the metal or plastic junction boxes.

woof.

Also, when living in new countries you also get an idea of what's good and what's not so good about things back in your home country. I've gotta say, carpets in bathrooms is pretty disgusting. But actually less and less people in the UK have these nowadays it seems. I think 2 separate taps are pretty cool to have in your flat/house, and people will often pay more for these.

I have a question, what do you do when you have a room, where you can't even find the wires where the light should go? I'm a bit puzzled on that one?!...

Yeah I'm Canadian and that all sounds very odd to me as well.

I got some wires from Bauhaus with the light bulb attachment I think 5€ for 3 to keep me going until I find light fittings I like as the ones from my old flat don't really go in the new place.

Needless to say we still have the wires 4 months later!

Personally, I find light fittings pretty pricey in Germany, so apart from IKEA, you might want to check out Aldi Süd's offers from Monday 18th Feb, Aldi-Nord offers from Monday 18th Feb, Plus online, the Tchibo Conran ones currently onsale...
Tastes differ, but these are pretty good value for lighting.

aah, a favorite topic of mine!

Light can't really travel by itself in Germany, you have to take the light fitting to where the light is needed, this is best achieved by leaving an unsightly bunch of wires hanging out the ceiling and then trailing extension cables horizontally to where the light fitting is required. You can spend a small fortune at your independent lighting retailer on some contraption made out of stainless steel bars, bits of wire or lumps of wood etc... alternatively pick up exactly the same light fittings off the pavement during sperr mull time.

Yeahhhhh when I move I'm leaving the light fittings this time. They were so cheap and not worth the hassel of taking them down, and I want nicer ones anyway.

3 words for you...

WELCOME TO GERMANY.

a) it's normal (no light fixtures, no kitchen, no kitchen sink, no appliances, no real preventative slum lording, and dog shit/ broken glass on the sidewalks) get used to it.
b ) efficiency/customer service doesn't exist, you'll be surprised when you get it.
c) learn to enjoy the transit strikes - it's a great way to get an extra day off - even when you don't want one.
d) Learn to laugh alot. At everything. it makes them nervous, and really, it is better than getting angry and irritated at every little thing.

*pauses* Humm... gee, some of this sounded bitter. Actually, Berlin is a great place to live, there's lots to do, and some people are friendly. There's also really great food and even better beer. :-)

Many years ago it was common for people to take light fittings and even the bulbs in the UK - no longer, probably because such items are irrelevant as compared against the cost of property. I have some spare lamp sockets and wire connectors that we used on our bare wired flat if they are any use to you. Will be back in Berlin next week.

Plug-in lamps are a good option if you're lacking in handyman skills. When I moved in here there wasn't even a kitchen sink. My Vormieter even took the toilet seat with him! ( I managed to buy one eventually...) I moaned a bit to the landlord about the kitchen and he relented and fitted out a kitchen- not normal landlord behavior I might add!