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Thanks @PandaMunich.... and thanks for being so patient with me. If it wasn't for you I don't what I would have done.Have a great weekend.

https://www.immoverkauf24.de/immobilienmakler/reservierungsvereinbarung/   In a nutshell, a "reservation  fee" is a legally very iffy construction. The fee should be no more than 10% of the reals estate agent's commission: 10% of 6 % (agent's commission) = 0.6% of sale price. It definitely should be put in writing, preferably with a Notar if higher than the 0.6% mentioned above.

  I have little doubt that Poland is shaking in their boots at this threat...NOT!

Is AIDS virus better than maybe the entire population of the world dying from Smallpox? Also that is just one of many theories on what caused the AIDS outbreak,another one for example is that stopping the vaccination caused the outbreak because the smallpox vaccine kept AIDS suppressed.   But hey as usual you don´t really do any research you just post the 1st thing you find that has your PoV on it.

  Cool. Good for you.

I do not believe that😉 Some of the ODEG double-decker RE trains are white (and yellow).   But if I see a dirty grey ICE, may I use my 9€ ticket on that?😅😜

Thanks for the update!

  Some old telephony systems still have a built in "press 0 for operator" although they don't generally say it in the options.  In some of them, you can also dial an internal number to get connected.

Citation needed.

  It's Stevie Nicks' 74th Birthday

In 2019, my husband and I drove from Gotenburg, Sweden with our new car, and our route took us to Copenhagen, Rostock, Leipzig (a fabulous stop!), and back to our home in Wiesbaden.  We stopped in Leipzig because we were attending a Mark Knopfler concert, but it was a fabulous city, maybe four hours from Rostock.  That might be a good place to stop on the way, depending on how much time you have.    

  I'm still waiting for mine. It is still being *processed* Glad I have dual nationality and can travel on vacation within the EU on my ID card.

  Rest in peace. Sad news indeed  

Lol if it was a reason just to make increase tax income you bet they´d have more Bürokratie. The Germans appear never to have heard of streamlining theirs.    

    Wow oh wow.. Rammstein's new video is a little bit Bavarian.      

Does anyone here have experience using a property manager to rent out a property in Germany?  We'll be renting out as soon as our student finishes school, and are hoping to have the details of being a landlord taken care of for us.  

Millions of most vulnerable households will receive £1,200 of help with cost of living - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Funny how this and the windfall tax was pooh poohed last week with all Tories voting against it.Yet just after the Sue Gray report it is announced and voted for by all Tories. They´ll do anything to keep Boris in power.

  hello there, just wanted to ask - during the 3 months garden leave, will agentur für arbeit require you to make the counsellor appointments or something? I was planning to take a break during these 3 months but I'm worried that I may be summoned for an appointment midway.

  They can allow you to take leave for up to 6 weeks but you would have to ask.

 @Yellowsnow Well, the Postbank Kaution account is a thing of the past, they stopped offering it in October 2020.   Here is a good introductory article on the whole Kaution (rental security deposit) topic: https://www-finanztip-de.translate.goog/mietkaution/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp   For example, an important thing to know is that no matter what is written in the rental contract, the law, §551 BGB lays down that you are entitled to pay your Kaution in 3 equal monthly instalments, with the 1st instalment being due on the first day of your rental period: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_bgb/englisch_bgb.html#p2022   **************************************************************************************   Option 1: pay the Kaution directly to landlord The simplest way to fulfill your duty to provide the Kaution is to simply do a bank transfer to your landlord.   Some landlords insist on getting it cash when they hand over the keys to the flat. In that case, in turn insist on a proper receipt signed by the landlord, as proof that you  paid the Kaution. For people who want to rent in hot rental markets, doing it the way the landlord wants is the only option.   The landlord is legally obliged to keep your Kaution money separate from his own money, i.e. to move it to a separate Kaution account for landlords (Vermieter-Mietkautionskonto).   **************************************************************************************   Option 2: Mietkautionskonto Many people feel that depositing the money with a third party creates a psychological barrier for the landlord, i.e. that he then won't try to access the money as readily as when it is already in his possession. Hence the idea of opening a Kaution account yourself, as the tenant (Mieter-Mietkautionskonto) and only giving the landlord the right to access that account.   You can open an account for your Kaution as a tenant at the following banks: https://www.mietkautionsbuergschaft.de/mietkautionskonto.html As the tenant, you need one that has in its attribute list the entry "verpfändbar: ja", i.e. an account that is pledgeable (= you give the landlord the right to access the money in that account). If you have the money for the Kaution (you do), a Mietkautionskonto is the best, i.e. cheapest solution.   For example, if you already have the free DKB current/checking account, you can open a separate free DKB Mietkautionskonto in your DKB online banking: https://www.dkb.de/privatkunden/mietkautionskonto/ DKB regularly tops the comparison for free current/checking accounts: https://www.modern-banking.de/vergleich-girokonto-14.php To access the DKB online banking, you would need to install the DKB app on your smartphone: https://bank.dkb.de/privatkunden/girokonto/banking-app   PSD Bank München (a small, reliable, albeit a bit boring and stodgy cooperative bank, there are PSD banks all over Germany) charge a one-off 15€ fee for opening an online Mietkautionskonto, you do not need to have a current/checking account with them to open the Mietkautionskonto: https://www.psd-muenchen.de/produkte/konto-und-karten/konten-im-ueberblick/mietkautionskonto.html But they do oblige you to use their online banking, even if you only have that Mietkautionskonto, which means that you will need to install their SecureGo app on your smartphone to access it: https://www.psd-muenchen.de/banking/leistungen-und-produkte/onlinebanking/vr-securego-plus.html   PSD Bank Karlsruhe-Neustadt offer a free Mietkautionskonto, but you have to fill in paper forms: https://www.psd-karlsruhe-neustadt.de/vermittler/formulare.html Fill in, print and sign these application forms: PSD Kundenstammvertrag PSD Mietkaution (only you sign it, on page 1 the direct debit mandate so that they can debit your current account and on page 3, where it says "Mieter" in yellow). The write in it to attach a copy of your Personalausweis or passport&Anmeldung. This "low tech" option of PSD Karlsruhe is the best option if you just want to open the Mietkautionskonto and then forget about it, i.e. do not want the hassle of having to administer yet another online banking access. They provide what the former Postbank Kautionssparbuch did - an old and tried paper-based savings account.   Like for all bank accounts, you will have to identify yourself, either by video chat or in any post office, by presenting your Personalausweis or passport&Anmeldung.   If you choose the post office identification option (=PostIdent), you won't need a stamp and envelope for sending the application forms, they will be put in the same envelope as the PostIdent form, which you will have to sign in front of the post office worker.   Identification process: DKB, you get the PostIdent coupon during the account opening process, alternatively you can identify yourself by video: https://www.dkb.de/CmsDirectOutputPart.xhtml?$event=display&docId=5133144955 PSD München: https://www.psd-muenchen.de/services/wir-fuer-sie/informationen/legitimation.html PSD Karlsruhe: https://www.psd-karlsruhe-neustadt.de/content/dam/f0719-0/formulare__servicecenter_/Girokonto/Coupon-Identitaetsfeststellung.pdf   **************************************************************************************   Option 3: Mietbürgschaft People who do not have the money for the Kaution can instead get a Mietbürgschaft from an insurance or bank, i.e. they will gurantee for you and will lay out the Kaution money in case you destroy something in the flat.   These banks/insurances charge a yearly fee for the service of providing the guarantee.  This is the most expensive option, that yearly fee is money down the drain. Please see here for a price comparison of banks/insurances that provide a Mietbürgschaft: https://www.mietkautionsbuergschaft.de/vergleich.html#kostenrechner-mietkaution   Just to be clear, that bank/insurance will then come after you to repay them what they had to pay to the landlord. So this does not work like a normal insurance, where all you pay is the yearly insurance premium and if something bad happens, the insurance covers the entire damage from their own money!   The landlord does not have to accept this option, i.e. he can insist on the Kaution being made available in the form of money and not just as a "promise of money" (which is all a Bürgschaft is, so if, for example, that insurance goes belly-up, their promise will be worth nothing). Which means that you are back at either option 1 or 2 and you would need to borrow the Kaution money, either from a bank or from your family (yes, I know that you have the money, but the next chap who comes along and reads this might not).

We haven't had a curry war for decades. Our current curry dictator is just too peaceful. We demand curry justice. Let the guilty be shamed and kormaed

I know this topic is pretty dated, however I will receive my termination notice from my current company next week. We are on 3 months garden leave before the actual last day, is it possible to travel during these 3 months given that the ALG1 benefit still is not in effect?